Welcome
by pinetree13
Summary: River is free after earning a pardon at the Byzantium. When the Doctor comes to visit her on the first night of her freedom, he comes with a surprise question that will forever change both their lives. But what happens next?
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is! Yes, my new series is finally here. The idea was suggested by 'jimthefishisaninnuendo', and I got the name from a song of the same name by 'The Rural Alberta Advantage', so listening to that song may give you an idea of where this is going (hint, hint).**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**This takes place after the Byzantium for River (who received a pardon) and in the Doctor's present.**

The Doctor now stood in front of a TARDIS blue door, waiting to ring the doorbell. He knew this was River's flat, the one she moved into after being freed from Stormcage on a pardon. He also knew that this would be the first time she met him outside of prison, which was why he hesitated. It was completely ridiculous, but he was slightly nervous about how she would react now that she was free.

However, he couldn't help himself eventually, so he rang the bell. The door was opened almost immediately, as if River had been standing behind it and waiting for him to ring. She was wearing a short blue dress that made the Doctor forget how to breathe for a moment. But the most beautiful thing about her was the way she was smiling at him right now. "Hello, Sweetie."

It took the Doctor a few seconds to remember how to speak. "Hi, honey. I'm home."

This made her laugh, and she stepped aside to motion for him to come in. She led him to the living room, and sat down next to him on the couch. "You know, this freedom stuff is really quite wonderful."

He smirked. "So how have you been using it?"

"Oh, I haven't done much really. I bought a flat, took a few trips. So far there hasn't been much that I couldn't do when I broke out."

He almost made a smart comment, but thought better of it. Today was the last day he wanted to risk annoying her. After all, it was only her first night of freedom. He wanted her to enjoy it. "Would you mind showing me around?" he asked, genuinely curious.

She gave him a grin that was too sinister to not mean trouble. "Of course." They got up, and she led him to every room in her flat, giving a few pieces of information here and there. By the time they ended up back at the living room, the Doctor noticed that she seemed to have left out one important room.

"River, I think you must have forgotten your bedroom," he said.

She smiled at this. "Would you like to see it, then?"

"Um, sure." He was totally oblivious to what she was trying to do, which made it all the more fun for her.

"Right this way," she said, grinning. She led him to the room, closing the door behind him. "Oh, Doctor, you're so naïve."

The Doctor's expression now changed from confusion to success, as if this had been his plan all along. "Believe me, I knew what was going on the whole time."

This completely caught River off-guard. He was usually so oblivious. Then again, this _was _an older version of him, and she could tell.

He now wrapped his arms around her waist. At this, she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him forcefully. She was pleasantly surprised when he responded the same way. Then he was pulling her backwards to the bed, and she landed on top of him. After that, they completely let go of the outside world, content to just be in each other's embrace.

The next time River opened her eyes, it was morning. She didn't turn over for fear of what she might find. After all, the Doctor had a tendency to leave unexpectedly. The day before had been one of her best, and she didn't want to wake up to wonder if it had all been a dream.

However, it wasn't long before reassurance came. She felt a strong arm wrap around her and pull her closer. Now she turned to face him, only to find that he was still fast asleep. His expression became worried as he dreamt, and he continued to pull her closer. She wasn't complaining, though. She reached up her hand to stroke his chest in an attempt to calm him in his nightmare. It seemed to work.

Pretty soon, he slowly began to open his eyes. River was the first thing he saw. "Hello."

"Hello."

They just laid there contently for a few minutes before getting up to get dressed. River pulled on his shirt, and he smiled as he found another one in her closet, as if she knew he would be coming soon.

They ate breakfast in silence until River decided to ask, "Why didn't you leave."

The Doctor didn't know whether to be hurt or confused by her question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, usually I wake up to find that you've left. Why did you stay this time?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Every time he left as she had mentioned, he had been called by someone in trouble, and simply couldn't resist going to help them. He always assumed River knew that, and he certainly had never meant to hurt her. "I . . . I'm sorry. I didn't realize it upset you."

"Every second I'm not with you upsets me." She said this slowly, as if she had been choosing her words with great care.

The Doctor gave a sad smile. "Me too. And to be clear, I never left you on purpose. Things just always seemed to . . . pop up."

River was relieved to hear that at least he had some real reason. "You never answered my question."

"Ah, yes. Well, the reason relates to what I said earlier, about how every second I'm away from you hurts me. So what I really want to know is . . . do you want to come with me." River didn't answer right away, as she was in shock. The Doctor seemed to think she actually had to consider it. "I know it's dangerous, but I promise I will do everything I can to—"

"Yes."

"Wait, what?" The Doctor was surprised at her quick response.

"Yes, yes, of course!" River was so happy she was practically in tears. She knew she could never travel with him as long as she was in prison, but now that she was free, this was all she ever wanted.

"You don't care that it will be extremely dangerous."

"I know you'll never let anything bad happen. Besides, I always have plan B," she said, motioning to her gun.

The Doctor laughed in a mixture of relief and joy. "Well then what are we waiting for? We have a universe to see!"

**There you go: the first chapter of the new series. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. I have a pretty good idea of where this is going, at least for the next couple of chapters, anyway. Reviews are encouraged!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.**

They had been traveling together for nearly a week now. Surprisingly, the Doctor had not gotten any calls the entire time, so they were finally able to enjoy themselves for a change.

Currently they were on some deserted planet that had yet to be discovered. It was covered with endless rolling hills of flowering meadows, for here it was always spring.

For hours they lay there side-by-side, simply basking in the sun and the other's presence. It was paradise. River's hand was entwined with the Doctor's, and he was swirling meaningless patterns on the back of her hand with his thumb.

Her face was turned towards him, memorizing every feature so that she would never forget. Now he turned his face to look at her, and their eyes locked as if they were in the middle of some mental conversation.

After several minutes of this, the Doctor pulled River onto him, and slowly kissed her. She returned the kiss. Then they simply lay there, half-asleep in the fragrant hills of the planet.

But everything has to end sometime, and before they knew it night was falling. Even with the sun down, this planet was absolutely beautiful. However, they had to leave sometime, and the Doctor took this as their cue.

As he carefully tried to get up with River still on top of him, he noticed that she had fallen asleep. She looked more peaceful now than he had ever seen her, so he didn't wake her. He gathered her into his arms and carried her all the way to the TARDIS, which he had parked a couple of hills away, out of site.

With a snap of his fingers he opened the door. He walked past the console and into his room, where he laid River on the bed. This was one of the only times he could stare at her face without her blushing or turning away in embarrassment. She was beautiful. He knew there would come a time when he would lose her, so he never wanted to forget one detail of the time he spent with her, not one line.

He would try his hardest not to let that happen, though. He had promised to keep her safe, knowing that his past-self had already broken this promise. That couldn't happen, and if he had anything to do with it, that _wouldn't _happen. He can't lose her.

Kicking off his shoes and shrugging out of his shirt, he got in next to her. He wrapped his arms around her, pretending that if he could just stay like this, he could keep her safe. Slowly he fell into a restless sleep. River, however, slept fabulously.

She was a teacher, a professor of archaeology at a local university. Every day she spent hours upon hours teaching students about whatever the book said, adding her own little amendments her and there, of course.

After school was over, she would come home to see the TARDIS parked in the driveway as it always was when she returned. She would walk in the door and call, "Hi, honey. I'm home."

Then the Doctor would come to greet her, asking about her day and embracing her warmly. She would look down to see a bright-eyed little girl with curly brown hair staring up at her. She would hold her in her arms and tell her all about the adventures of the Doctor.

She would go to sleep and wake up to say goodbye to him, as he would spend each day saving the world to come home to his family.

River wanted this so desperately, but she knew it was impossible.

She awoke to find that she was still lying next to the Doctor. Her fantasy world had all been a dream. However, she couldn't help but imagine that it wasn't all fiction. Of course, the Doctor hated routines, but now that she was free, maybe at least some of it could be reality.

River looked up at him to see that he was staring intently at her. He could always tell when something was wrong. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Always," she replied with a forced smile. However, she knew that he could see right through her.

"I know you're lying. You might as well just tell me. I'll find out eventually."

Whether she liked it or not, she knew he was right. "Doctor . . ." She paused, trying to form the right words to say.

"Yes?" he answered softly, urging her to continue.

She wanted so badly to tell him her dream, to tell him everything, but she couldn't. Even though she was traveling with him now, she had seen what had happened to his other companions. The ones who turned out fine had been left behind eventually. Was she just another companion he would drop off? So instead of speaking what was really on her mind, she inquired this. "Would you consider me a companion?"

This caught him off-guard. "What?"

"You know, am I just another companion?" She got the feeling he knew exactly what she meant. Plus, she knew that he did feel guilty about them, so she didn't explain any further.

The Doctor chose his words carefully before speaking. "Companions are people I meet along the way. They're some of the best friends I've had, but you're not one of them." She didn't know whether to be relieved or upset. When he saw her look of confusion, he continued. "You're much more than that. You're my wife, and for that reason, I will never, ever leave you."

He said this with such conviction that she couldn't help but believe him. She only hoped that he was right. She knew he wouldn't purposely leave her. It would be a mistake or "for her own safety". That's what happened to the others.

For now, though, he didn't have the courage to leave her, even if he had to. He feared that if it came down to it, he would choose River's company over her safety, because he couldn't live without her.

What he didn't know is that she would make the same choice, because her life was nothing without him in it. She would rather die in his arms than live a lifetime away from him, and that was her greatest weakness.

**I was pleased with the responses to the first chapter, so I hope this one will be even better. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I was very pleased with all the responses to the first two chapters, so I have a pretty good feeling about this story. Here's chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who**

River had been acting very strange lately. Well, stranger than usual. However, the changes were very subtle, so subtle, in fact, that no one besides the Doctor probably would have noticed any difference. But he did.

He didn't think it was anything too bad, because she didn't really looked that concerned or worried. One day, he decided that he should probably ask her what was wrong.

Walking into the console room, he saw her pushing buttons and pulling levers while the TARDIS hummed with contentment. "River…," the Doctor started. However, before he could get the sentence out, she interrupted him.

"Sweetie, you wouldn't mind stopping by to visit my parents, would you?"

This caught him off-guard. She had never asked this before, and as far as he knew today was not an Earth holiday. Maybe she just wanted to see them. She _was _human, after all.

Soon, River opened the doors to find that they were parked right outside the Pond house. The Doctor smiled to himself. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had missed the Ponds, and it was a nice surprise to pay them a visit.

River grabbed his hand, and they walked up to the front door together, and knocked on the door. Rory was the one who answered, a look of complete confusion and shock on his face. This soon turned to delight, and he called for Amy. "Amy? You might want to come see who's at the door."

They could hear Amy calling from the other room as she came closer. "I've told those people a thousand times, I've already given money…" She was cut off once she saw who it actually was. Then a huge smile spread across her face as the Doctor and River were stuck in the middle of a family group hug.

After greetings had been exchanged, Amy led them to the sitting room. "So River, what brings you here?" she asked with a smile.

River grinned and turned to look at the Doctor, who still grasped her hand. He returned her look of pure joy with one of slight confusion. "Actually, I came here to tell you something."

At this, the look of confusion passed over all of their faces. "What is it?" Rory asked.

River took a deep breath and looked at all three of them before saying, "I'm pregnant."

The room suddenly came alive with noise. Amy had squealed with joy and was now hugging Rory, who was trying hard not to cry.

The Doctor was just as surprised as they were, as River hadn't mentioned this to him yet. But at least this explained why she had been acting strange lately. Now he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, tears of joy in his eyes.

Then he pulled back to look at her. "River, why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you as a family," she said happily, though there was a cloud behind her eyes that only the Doctor saw.

After a few minutes of exchanging hugs and congratulations to the lucky parents, Amy and Rory left the room to prepare dinner.

"So why did you really wait till now to tell me?" River hesitated. "Please, you can tell me."

Finally, she let out a deep breath and said, "I didn't know what you would say, how you would respond."

For a moment, he was confused. He didn't see how this could be anything but good news. "What do you mean?"

She looked very uncomfortable now, but she continued. "I was taken by the Silence when I was born. I was afraid that you wouldn't want to take the risk of having that happen again."

Now it was clear. In a way, she did have a point, but he hadn't actually thought about it that way. "You still turned out fine, better than fine, actually. But now we know what they're after, so we can stop them. I will do everything I can to keep you safe, both of you. They won't get anywhere near you."

Once again, she couldn't help but believe his words. However, this didn't keep her from fearing the Silence. Kovarian was still out there. Amy had killed her in an alternate time stream. They had taken her childhood from her, and what few memories she did have were dark and hard to think about. She wouldn't wish that upon anyone, most definitely not her own child.

The Doctor, who still had his arms around her, now pulled her onto his lap. She sank into his chest, turning her head to look up at him. At this, he leaned down to kiss her. Her hands subconsciously found their way to his face, and soon his were on her face as well.

When River undid his bowtie, though, he grabbed her wrists, smiling. "That might not be the best idea right now with your parents in the other room."

"Actually, we're not," said Amy from the doorway. The Doctor cringed as he saw Rory standing there glaring at him.

"Doctor, I might remind you that I do still have my sword."

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Right, sorry."

Rory turned to walk back to the other room, leaving Amy there. She smiled at them, winked, and then turned to follow Rory.

When she left, River and the Doctor burst into laughter. "Well, River, I'd have to say I always did like your mother better."

Soon dinner was ready, and the meal was spent with talk of their recent adventures. Some of the stories River wouldn't have believed, had she not been there herself. These stories were told for hours after dinner was over, but soon the Doctor became obviously tired, and rested his head on River's shoulder, half asleep.

"Well, I suppose we should be going," she told her parents eventually.

Amy's face fell at this. "So soon? Okay, but just be sure to visit more often than he does," she said, motioning to the Doctor.

She smiled. "I promise."

River nudged the Doctor awake, and they said their goodbyes. She took his hand and led him into the TARDIS.

Once they were inside, suddenly he was wide awake. "I thought you were too tired to keep your eyes open," River accused.

"I'm also a great actor." He pressed a hand to the small of her back, pulling her closer. Now he kissed her passionately, and she grasped at his bowtie, which was still undone. "So where were we?"

**Reviews appreciated! I hope you like where this is going, but I always take suggestions.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm gonna dedicate this chapter to all of those people who favorite/alert every single one of my stories. You know who you are. It definitely makes my day. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Doctor Who. Darn.**

Once again, River woke up completely content. This was a fairly new experience for her, as it had only just started since she began traveling with the Doctor. Every morning she now woke up feeling as though everything might actually turn out fine for a change. She believed every word of what he had said and knew that as long as she was with him, she would be safe.

She smiled to herself and rolled to her side, opening her eyes to look for the Doctor. He wasn't there. That didn't make sense; he had been there every morning she had traveled with him.

Then something caught her eye. It was a TARDIS blue note lying on his pillow. She picked it up and began to read:

_River,_

_I received an urgent message and just couldn't wait to answer it. I'm sorry that by the time you're reading this, I'll have already left. I would have woken you up, but I promised to keep you safe. The risks of going on adventures with me are too high. So please don't be upset, I mean the best._

_-The Doctor_

River wasn't mad; she understood now why the Doctor wasn't here, and it was actually a pretty good reason. However, she couldn't help but feel the happiness she'd had only moments ago slip away. Loneliness took its place.

Reluctantly, she pulled herself out of bed and got dressed. On her way to the console room, she stopped to check her appearance in the bathroom mirror. She couldn't help but look for a baby bump. Seeing none, she continued to her destination.

Now she walked up to the controls. If the Doctor didn't want her anywhere dangerous, maybe she'd just visit a harmless planed while he was gone. As she went to type in coordinates, she found another blue note taped to the monitor.

_Also, don't go anywhere. I need the TARDIS here just in case a quick escape is necessary. It probably will be. _

River rolled her eyes as she sank into the console chair. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of boredom. What was the point of having a time machine when you couldn't go anywhere?

Then something shiny caught the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she discovered that it was her trusty Alpha Mason gun in its holster. She had hung it on a hook by the door after their last adventure together. Now it seemed to be beckoning to her, positively calling her to take it and go find the Doctor.

River never had been very good at controlling temptations. She sat there for a few minutes contemplating the pros and cons, but in the end, she just decided to go for it. Of course, she knew the Doctor wouldn't be very happy, but there was no way she was just going to sit there all day.

So she took her gun, strapped it around her waist, and opened the door. What she saw didn't look very dangerous at all. It was a forest, and it must have gone on for miles, because she couldn't see the end of it, even thru the large gaps in the trees.

Luckily, the ground was very muddy, and the Doctor's footprints were easily visible. She followed them and found that they led to a village of small huts not far away. As she came closer, she saw a native sitting around a fire. Using what she knew of this planet so far, she used a language that he most likely knew to ask where the Doctor was.

The man replied that the Doctor had saved their village before being taken away by a rival clan. He pointed to show which way they had gone, and River followed that direction until she saw larger, more numerous huts looming in the distance.

Once she walked into the village, she made the mistake of asking for the Doctor. The man she had asked was strong and was able to tie her hands behind her back before she had even reached for her gun.

She was led to a jailhouse, which was basically just a series of stalls, but unfortunately they were very sturdy. Luckily, however, the man threw her into the same cell as the Doctor.

At first, he didn't notice it was her. He had been in that cell all day and all those who had been in there with him had been taken out and never came back. Currently he was sitting with his head bent forward in defeat, facing the wall.

He obviously didn't know it was her yet, so he began to speak. "This is too hard, all of this. All day people have come and gone, but not one of them have ever come back. I suppose it's some cruel mind trick of theirs, but I must say it is effective. Between you and me, the dying part isn't what bothers me. I'll most likely just regenerate anyway. What bothers me is that I'll be different. It's possible that everything about me will change. I have a wife and child on the way, and I love them more than anything else in the universe. She won't even recognize me. What if I change to much, then what?"

At this, he spun around, practically shouting. Then he saw her face. Her eyes were wide, brimming with tears, as were his. If their hands hadn't been tied behind their backs, they would have thrown their arms around each other. Instead, River scooted over to him and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. He bent his head down to bring her lips to his, kissing her lovingly.

Soon, though, he pulled back, and his face was a mask of pain. "River, why did you come here? I told you to stay in the TARDIS. This area just happens to be extremely dangerous."

"You can get us out of this, you always can. Your sonic! What about that?"

His face didn't brighten, as he'd already thought this through. "That would work if our hands weren't tied with rope, or if the door wasn't made of wood."

Now River understood the reality of the situation. She needed to formulate a plan, and fast, or else she would be watching the Doctor regenerate. Of course, then she'd be killed, but her own life didn't matter. It was the life inside of her that she worried about.

**If you haven't read any of my other series, I should probably tell you that I love cliffhangers. You're welcome! I guess you'll just have to keep reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry about taking so long to update. I've been really busy lately. On the bright side, that means I've also had more time to think of plot twists!**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Doctor Who, so don't sue me.**

They sat there, fully awake, through the night. Neither of them could sleep while thinking that at any moment the other could be killed.

The Doctor was perhaps the most concerned. After all, River had given all of her regenerations to him. If she died, there was no going back. Not only that, his child would die, as well, without even having had a chance to live.

He had been alone plenty of times, but this would be different. This time, he wouldn't have a choice. His only consolation was telling himself that he had already seen River die. She couldn't die now, or at least if she did, it would create a paradox that could destroy the universe. But without her, what was the use of trying to stop such things anymore? He didn't want to live anymore without her. So he now resolved to sacrifice himself if her life was on the line.

By now it had to be sometime in the early morning, though the sun had not yet risen. For hours they had been silent. River was leaning against the Doctor, and now he looked down at her. He could see the moonlight reflect off the wetness on her face. Had his hands been free, he would have reached up to dry her tears. Instead, he kissed her cheek softly in an attempt to comfort her.

Still, they said nothing.

Soon, it was daybreak. Now when the Doctor looked down at River, he found that she had fallen asleep. He leaned his head on hers, pressing a kiss into her blonde curls.

The door slammed open, as did River's eyes. A burly guard held her roughly as another bound her feet and mouth. All the time, she was fighting them. The Doctor was on his feet in an instant, kicking the guards and yelling, "You get your hands off of her!" and, "Take me instead. I'm the one you hate!"

The guards paid no attention and even seemed mildly amused, laughing at his feeble attempts at aggression. However, he caught their attention eventually, after landing a kick to where it hurts the most. As the guard he had kicked fell to the floor, the other pushed the Doctor into the cell so hard that he was knocked unconscious.

By the time he awoke, it was the afternoon. After he remembered what had happened, he began yelling River's name as loud as he could, but of course there was no answer. He could barely see through tears of desperation. Collapsing on the floor, all he could do was hope that she was unharmed.

As he lay there, something caught his eye on the floor of his cell. It looked like a shard of glass. Closer inspection told him that's exactly what it was. He felt a sliver of hope rise up inside of him as he maneuvered the glass into his hands. Using it to saw the ties on his hands, he was free in minutes. Triumphantly, he took out his sonic, but then realized once again that the doors were wood.

He remembered how he had seen River pick locks with almost anything. So he took the glass shard, broke it into a thinner piece, and did as he had seen her do countless times. Then he heard a click that could mean one of two things: either the door was unlocked, or the glass was broken, jamming the lock. He hoped with all his hearts it was the first one.

The Doctor grabbed the handle and pushed. To his immense relief, the door slid open. But he didn't have time to cover the evidence of his breakout now; he had to find River before she ended up like the rest of his former cellmates.

He ran as fast as he could through the town, ignoring everyone around him, not noticing that everyone in town was headed for the same place. As he ran, he saw a large crowd in the distance. When he got closer, running became virtually impossible, so instead he pushed his way to the front.

Then he saw her. River was bound just as she had been when the guards had taken her. However, she was still fighting to get free, so a guard had to hold her still. Then the Doctor noticed what was behind her: a cliff.

It all clicked in his mind now. The people in this village would kill all strangers to the planet—especially those coming through their rival town—for fear of being overtaken. He and River had come from the other village after falling from the sky in a blue box. It was no wonder they were superstitious.

Now he was able to catch River's eye. When she saw him, her eyes grew wide, and she motioned with her head for him to leave. He had never before seen her as scared as she was now. Standing his ground, he shook his head in determination.

However, he could see frustration played out on her features, and she began blinking wildly. At first the Doctor was confused, but then he noticed a pattern, a pattern of dots and dashes. She was blinking in Morse code! Once he realized this, he found that she repeated the same five-letter word over and over: T-A-R-D-I-S.

_Of course! _He slapped his head as he realized what should have been obvious. River gave him a look that said, _"What are you waiting for?"_ and he took off running in the direction they had come.

Even though he knew that time didn't exactly matter since he had a time machine, he sprinted the entire way there. Once inside, his fingers practically flew over the controls as he typed in coordinates. Throwing the final lever, he silently begged the TARDIS to take him where he asked for, just this once.

He ran to the door and threw it open to find himself looking up the face of the cliff, breathing a sigh of relief. Then River was falling towards him, so he opened his arms to catch her. She fell into them, knocking him onto the floor as the doors closed behind them.

Quickly, he undid her bonds, and once they were off, her arms were around his head, and she was kissing him forcefully. He didn't blame her. After all, she had almost died, and he had saved her. Therefore, he returned it, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

When they finally broke apart, River spoke first. "I thought you said you wouldn't always be there to catch me when I decided to jump off things."

He smiled softly. "Rule one: the Doctor lies. River Song, I will always be there to catch you every single time you fall, and that is the complete truth."

They were both exhausted from getting little to no sleep and of course the life-threatening adventure, so eventually River just collapsed on top of him. As tired as he was, the Doctor didn't even bother to take her to their bedroom. He just fell asleep there with her in his arms.

**Please let me know what you think! I'll try to update sooner next time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed for helping me get to 20 reviews! Let's try to double that! Ps: Happy belated anniversary to the Doctor and River!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

River woke up first. She was in the same place she had been the night before, when she had been too tired to walk to her room. They were on the floor of the console room, the Doctor still asleep. She would have gotten up, but his arms were wrapped tightly around her, not that she was complaining.

She just waited for the Doctor to awake, all the while memorizing the features of his face. This was definitely _her _Doctor, the one she had grown up with. That is, after she escaped the Silence.

Now it seemed as though her perfect dream might actually be possible. Soon, she would have a child, and she could travel with the Doctor all the time now. All she had to do was convince him to spend a little more time on Earth.

Though, she knew somehow that that would never happen. He was an adventurer, a hero. Even if they did settle down and get a house, there was a large chance that it would be attacked by aliens within the first week, anyway.

So for now she was content with the way her life was going, especially at this moment. Of course, the Doctor would have to wake up sometime, but that didn't mean he had to let go.

As she stared at his perfect features, his eyes began to slowly flicker open. She quickly closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, pretending to be asleep.

She felt a soft kiss to her cheek and a hand stroking the back of her neck. Then his lips traced their way up her jaw, resting on her ear, and whispering softly, "River Song, you never have been a good actress."

She smiled and opened her eyes. "Okay, you caught me." Silently, she noted that his arms were still wrapped around her.

The Doctor must have noticed this too, as he tightened his grip even more, and stood up carefully with her still in his arms. "So what do you want to do today?" The question was soft, as though he could barely speak above a whisper.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to go somewhere a little less dangerous. I'd rather not be almost killed twice in one week."

The Doctor smirked at this request. "And by normal do you mean Earth?"

River grinned. This was exactly what she had meant, but she said nothing and shrugged as if to say _that works._

He rolled his eyes, still smiling. River always wanted to go to Earth, but he didn't blame her because on days like this, so did he. "I think I know the perfect place."

When they had materialized, River was the first one out the door. She just loved everything about this planet, but she grew even more excited once she saw where they had landed. It was a beach, but not just any beach; this one was deserted. Her face lit up, as she couldn't contain her joy. "Doctor, where are we?"

"I believe we are on some unknown island somewhere in the Pacific. I discovered this place a few years ago and thought it was absolutely beautiful—the perfect place to spend some down time."

River felt herself filled with a childlike fascination, which was perfectly normal, considering she never actually had a real childhood. "I'll race you to the ocean!"

The Doctor took off running, as he also had the restraint of a five-year-old. River took off after him, and they each began stripping down to only the bare necessities before jumping in to the cold blue waves.

"I win!" the Doctor shouted gleefully as they surfaced.

"Are you kidding? I was clearly the winner! Hang on, are you still wearing your bowtie?"

"Bowties are cool," he just barely managed to get out before they both burst into laughter.

The water was fairly cold today, so they now got out to lie on the shore. With the warmth of the sun on their skin, neither of them particularly liked the idea of having to leave this place, especially since it was just them; it was _their _place.

Then a random, rather insignificant thought popped into River's head. However, she was curious, so she asked the Doctor anyway, if for no other reason but to hear his voice again. "Doctor, if this island is undiscovered, then what have you named it?"

He turned his head to smile at her, as he had actually thought this through many times. "Melody. This is Melody Island."

River was pleasantly surprised to hear him say her name, her _real_ name. It had been too long since she had heard it. Consequently, she smiled warmly back at him and took his hand in hers. She leaned her head up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I think that's a brilliant name."

By this time, the sun was setting, creating a beautiful array of colors on the horizon. However, the temperature was dropping with the retreating sun, so the two lovers grew cold, as they were still stripped down.

Once they got dressed, though, they found that the temperature wasn't actually that bad. "Why don't we just stay here for tonight?" River asked pleadingly.

The Doctor happily accepted. "We don't have to leave just yet. Most likely, the universe won't end in the next few hours."

River could only hope that he was right. After all, the universe ending was one of the only things that could ruin this night.

**I hope you liked the fluffy calm chapter. Also, if you have read my story 'Savior', that idea was suggested by a friend. His name is cptharkness on a site called Devianart, and he needs more followers, so I promised him promo for promo. He writes about detective stuff, which isn't really my style, but it would mean a lot to him if you checked it out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope you enjoyed that last chapter. It was just a little break from all the action, but that break is over, so prepare yourselves!**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I still don't own Doctor Who.**

The Doctor slowly opened his eyes to the glowing sunrise and sounds of the waves. He was still lying on the shores of Melody Island. Everything was perfect her, from the sun, to the sand, to River beside him. Now he smiled to himself as he reached out to pull her closer to him. However, all he felt was sand.

His eyes snapped open, and he was immediately on his feet, wide awake. "River?" he called. No reply. The TARDIS was still there, so she was still on the island somewhere. He walked over to the little blue box and opened the door. "River, are you in there?" Once again, there was no reply.

But he wasn't going to worry yet. The Doctor closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. After all, he had inspected this island before. There was absolutely nothing dangerous about it. He scanned the ocean, hoping that she may have just gone for a little swim, but he was only trying to persuade himself. By now he knew that there was only one place she could be. Turning to the jungle behind him, he set off.

This wasn't exactly a very big island, so she couldn't have gotten very far. At this point, he was still able to remain calm by telling himself that she just wanted to explore, that's all. Then it hit him. There hadn't been any footprints. They were barefoot in the sand; if she had gone anywhere, there would have been footprints but there weren't.

Now he gave up all attempts at staying calm. He found himself running as fast as he possibly could through the jungle without running into trees. After only a few seconds, he saw her. She was lying in a heap on the jungle floor. He paused only for a moment out of pure shock, then he was running towards her.

On inspection, the Doctor found that she was still breathing, and her hearts were beating normally. All of the signs said that she was completely normal, as if nothing had happened.

Carefully, he shook her awake. At first, she looked straight at the Doctor, a look of pure happiness on her face. However, as she began to take in her surroundings, that happiness turned to confusion. "How did we get here?" she asked sleepily.

The Doctor was still a little worried, but he wasn't going to show it. "You must have sleep-walked. It took me a while to find you." As he explained this to her, he was trying to convince himself at the same time.

River was still confused. As far as she knew, she'd never sleep-walked before. The Doctor's story didn't exactly make sense, but she could see the sliver of doubt and worry hidden behind his eyes, so she didn't press the matter. "Well this has been fun, but I think I'm ready for another life-threatening adventure now," she smiled.

The Doctor was relieved that she seemed to be just fine, so he helped her up and led her back to the TARDIS. Once they were inside, he bounded up to the controls. "So where to now? Anywhere in particular?"

"Let's do something fun like a war zone or a crashing ship," she said enthusiastically.

The Doctor smirked. "One mutinous crashing ship coming right up." He pulled the lever and sent them whooshing through the vortex.

River sat down on the captain's chair and began to fiddle with her gun. He took this opportunity to scan her the same way he used to scan Amy when she was pregnant. After looking at River lovingly, he turned his attention to the monitor.

At first, he thought the machine was broken. Being the mechanical genius he was, he tried to fix it by banging the side. Strangely, that didn't seem to help. Now, he began to run more complex and in-depth scans, which all came up with the same result—a result that was all too familiar. The monitor was showing the same readings it had when he had scanned Amy.

After his suspicions were confirmed, the Doctor became absolutely pale. Inside, he was positively screaming, but on the outside he forced himself to wear a brave face for River's sake. However, he should have known that she could see right through him.

She looked up from polishing her gun to see a strange expression on his face. "Sweetie, is something the matter?"

He couldn't just tell her flat out; she would be terrified. "Er . . . no, nothing at all. Everything is fine."

Of course, when he said this, River knew he was absolutely _not _fine. "Just tell me. You know I'll find out sooner or later anyway."

The Doctor sighed. She was absolutely right. "Okay, just first promise me that no matter what, you know I'll save you," he began hesitantly.

River's expression now turned to worried confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I need you to know that no matter how long it takes or how far I have to travel or how many planets I have to go through, I will always, always come for you. Please tell me you believe that." His voice was pleading, desperate. He was finding it hard to restrain the note of worry in his tone.

This same note was causing River to panic slightly. "Yes, yes, I know. Now tell me what this is all about."

"Don't panic."

"How can you expect me not to panic when you say things like this?" She was now practically yelling.

The Doctor took her hand and pulled her into a long, loving kiss that she returned gratefully. But then he pulled back. "River, you didn't sleep walk. Someone took you."

"What do you mean? I'm right here. How could someone have taken me?" She was definitely panicking.

"I'm sorry, but this is just your consciousness. Your body is somewhere else, and that means—"

"So is our baby," she finished, her eyes growing wider.

The Doctor kissed her again before stepping back to move away from her. "I'm so sorry for this, but it has to be done. Remember, I will find you. I always find you." The worry had now turned to tears that he couldn't keep back.

The worst part was seeing the terrified look on River's face as she closed her eyes and prepared to be disintegrated. Even though he knew she was only flesh right now, he couldn't help but hesitate before pressing the button on his screwdriver. As soon as he did, though, the flesh fell to the ground in its natural form.

The Doctor sank to his knees, tears now freely flowing down his cheeks. This had all been a little too real for him. At least now he knew what River must have been feeling as the suit forced her to shoot him at Lake Silencio.

He had never felt so small or helpless before. He didn't know where to go or even where to begin. All he knew was that River was gone, and he had promised to find her. He was willing to die before breaking that promise.

**Please let me know what you think about this new development. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been incredibly busy lately. You can blame my teachers. Anyway, thank you all for your awesome reviews. I never thought I'd get this many responses. If it weren't for you, this story would have been a lot shorter. So keep 'em comin'!**

This was it. After months of flying around all of space hunting down the right people, he finally knew where to go. However, it Kovarian hadn't been as hard to track as she had been the last time. To save time, the Doctor had just gone straight to Dorium (or, rather, his head), who had told him that the leaders of the Silence were stationed somewhere on a planet that had previously been deserted. Now, though, it was completely covered with Silence and extensive security precautions to keep only one person out: him.

Dorium had also warned him of their main trap. The Silence had obviously figured out that when the Doctor came, he would just park his TARDIS outside the cell, sonic the lock, and leave with River. That's why they created several different decoy prisons to throw him off-guard. The real prison was in a building disguised an armory.

Now he typed in the coordinates as fast as he possibly could and willed the TARDIS to take him where he wanted to go this once. Only seconds later, they materialized. The Doctor held his breath and reached for the door. He opened it only slightly to see if any guards had spotted him. Once he saw that none had, he cautiously stepped out.

As he looked around, the building seemed to get stranger and stranger. Everything was white, from the walls to the doors. Not only that, but the hallway he was in appeared to be endless. A few yards behind him was an intersection of hallways. From these, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from one, and figured he had only about a minute before the guard would discover his TARDIS and pull the alarm.

Now he was running down the hallway, trying to make as little noise as possible in the process. However, for someone like him, this was not easy. Soon he came to another intersection and turned left. Then he stopped cold at the sound he heard next. It was a noise like a siren—it was the alarm. In hearing this, he ran faster, abandoning all hope of staying silent. As he ran, he began looking through the windows of the rooms he passed, wishing that he might just happen to see his wife in one of them.

However, he just kept passing empty rooms, and was about to attempt to go back and make a break for the TARDIS to try again later when something caught his eye. It was a faint gold light that was pouring through a window. It was obscuring his view enough that he couldn't see what was causing it, and he didn't want really want to get caught by the guards, so he ducked inside to get a better view.

Inside, he found the source of the light, and he brightened immediately. "River!"

She was lying on a cot and looked as though she could give birth at any second. That was good. At least Kovarian hadn't actually been able to kidnap their baby yet. He still had a chance to save them. The gold light seemed to be protruding from her skin, as it did when she was regenerating. The Doctor figured it must be the child causing that. After all, River couldn't regenerate any more.

When he had come in, River's face had been a mask of pain, but as soon as she saw his face and heard him speak her name, her spirits lifted. "Doctor! You came!"

"Of course I came. I always come. It may have taken me a while, but I'm here, and I'm not leaving without you." His face showed his complete resolve.

"But what about the guards? How do you plan on getting out of here? I'm sure their guarding your TARDIS heavily."

Now the Doctor smiled. He had already run through every scenario that could possibly go wrong, and he had found a solution for each. "Plan B," he said as he pulled a vortex manipulator out of his pocket.

River smiled widely. "Oh, you really are brilliant."

The Doctor smiled back. "I know."

Their reunion was cut short by heavy footsteps outside the door. The Doctor quickly sonicked it to keep them out, but that would only last a few seconds. "River, hurry. Grab on," he said as he dialed in the coordinates and held his arm out to her.

River, however, couldn't answer him through the pain. There was a splash on the floor, and the Doctor looked down to find that her water had broken. He had run through every possible scenario that could go wrong except one: River was giving birth _right now_.

For a moment, the Doctor didn't know what to do. When he looked at River's face, all he saw was pain, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to make her travel like this.

But this two-second hesitation was long enough. The guards now busted through the doors and surrounded them, guns cocked, eye drives on. Then in walked Madame Kovarian herself. She was exactly how the Doctor remembered her. Unfortunately, she had only died in a different timeline, so here she stood.

"Kovarian," he greeted her with a stony expression.

"Why, hello, Doctor. We've been expecting you." She was obviously enjoying herself.

"How many attempts will it take you to realize that you can't touch the people I love?" His voice was calm despite the rage growing inside of him.

"Oh, we'll gladly let your family go. After all, we really only want one thing. If you allow us to take it, then they can go freely."

The Doctor was suspicious, but she had gotten his attention. "I'm listening."

Kovarian smiled. "All we really want is your life."

"No!" shouted River from the cot.

The Doctor turned to look at her with a pained expression. This may have been the only time he would consider this. He had nowhere to go, and right now he had a choice to either the Silence kill him and allow his family to go free, or leave and allow his child to be kidnapped. Maybe they would even try to rehabilitate River back to wanting to kill him.

He had fought aliens, saved worlds, and given hope to many generations, but this might have been the hardest thing he had ever done. He looked back at River once more. Tears were streaming down her face as she shook her head. "No, don't trust them. Even if you let them kill you, they won't let us go. We're Time Lords."

Now the Doctor nodded slightly, his determination set. He turned back to Kovarian. "I'm sorry, I'm flattered by the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to say no." At this point he grabbed River's hand and placed it on the vortex manipulator. "Thanks for your hospitality." He pushed the button, and they were gone.

**Okay, now I really need feedback, because your reviews will determine whether their baby is a girl or a boy. Also, let me know if you have any cool baby names, preferably something extremely original. **


	9. Chapter 9

**I know it hasn't been very long since my last update, but I was getting bored, so I figured I would go ahead and write chapter nine. I loved all of your suggestions, but the idea I'm actually going with is from 'ScrewedRiver'. Your ideas were amazing, and if you have any more suggestions, I'm always listening.**

The Doctor opened his eyes to find that they had actually ended up exactly where he wanted to go: the TARDIS sick bay. He looked over at River to see that the trip really hadn't been very hard on her. That was good. After all, he hadn't known what would happen.

Gently, he picked her up and laid her on a cot. The technology of the TARDIS was able to make the whole thing less painful, but there was still a little too much screaming for the Doctor's liking. However, before he knew it, their child was born.

River was breathing heavily. "Doctor, what is it?"

His eyes were wide, full of joy. "She's a beautiful baby girl." River smiled at this. She wouldn't have cared what gender it was, but secretly she had been hoping for a girl. "So what do you want to name her? What about Amelia or Jessica?"

But River had already thought it through. "Rain. Her name is Rain."

The Doctor was slightly confused. "Rain? How did you come up with that?"

"It just came to me a while ago. I thought it was perfect."

He just shrugged, as she was right: it was perfect. "Well, okay then. Welcome, Rain Song."

The Doctor could tell that River was tired, so he held Rain until she fell asleep, then placed her in his old cradle next to River. He was also exhausted from the events of the day, so he pulled up a chair and drifted off to sleep.

The Doctor was running, but he didn't know from what. All he knew was that he was sprinting through the TARDIS as fast as he could, doors flying past him. Finally, he ducked into one. The door he had chosen just happened to be a maze.

_Oh, great! Why did I put this in here, again? Oh, right I thought it would be fun._ Well right now, it certainly was not fun. Not only was he running for his life, but now whatever was chasing him could just pop out from around the corner, and he would never see it coming.

For a second, he thought about turning back and ditching his pursuer in the maze, but then he realized that he wasn't exactly sure from which way he had come. So now he was basically blind. He just kept running as fast as he could and hoping that he didn't turn the wrong corner.

As he ran past an intersection, he noticed a figure in the corner of his eye. At this, he began running faster. The figure has obviously seen him too, as it picked up speed, as well. The Doctor took a left turn, then realized his mistake. This was a dead end.

However, he ran until he reached the end, and then stood looking at the wall as if it would just move out of his way. He wasn't so lucky.

He heard the footsteps come to a stop behind him. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned around. The figure behind him was a tall, relatively young girl with brown curls and green eyes. She looked to be about 18. "Well, well, well. It seems I've finally cornered you."

"Who are you?"

The girl laughed. "I know it hasn't been that long, but I would still expect you to know who I am."

Then he looked into her eyes, and immediately he knew her. "Rain?"

At this, she became angry. "Don't call me that. Don't _ever _call me that! I'm not Rain anymore. My name is Lyra, Lyra Pond."

"No it isn't. Your name is Rain Song, and you can't change it," the Doctor shot back, without really thinking about the possible consequences.

"Oh, can't I? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I wasn't exactly the one who came up with that name, anyway." She said this with a crooked grin on her face. As cruel as she was, the Doctor couldn't help but notice that she looked like River when she did that.

"Then who was?"

She began walking closer to him until she stood mere inches away. "The people who opened my eyes. The people who showed me what real life is. The people who told me the truth about you and all the damage you've done. The best thing that ever happened to me was being rescued by them."

By now the Doctor understood. Somehow, his daughter had been kidnapped by the Silence. Though he knew she was brainwashed, her words still tore through him like a knife. This was all too terrifying. He couldn't take it any longer.

The Doctor jolted awake. He instantly looked around to make sure that everyone was still there. Rain was still in the cradle, fast asleep. River, however, was gone. Panic shot through him, and he ran out the door to search for her.

"River! River, where are you? Please tell me you're here!" Frantically, he began to search all of her favorite rooms. At last he arrived at the last possible place she could be: the kitchen. He walked in to find her making tea by the sink. Relieved, he ran over and through his arms around her. "River, I was scared to death! What are you doing out of bed?"

She was very confused at his reaction. "Well, Sweetie, I just came here to make some tea. And I don't need to stay in bed. Time Lords heal a lot quicker than humans, you know."

The Doctor tried to slow his rapid breathing. "Sorry, I just . . . had a sort of nightmare."

"Really? What about?" River knew better than to dismiss any of his dreams as fiction.

"It was about Rain. She had been kidnapped by the Silence, and they trained her the same way they trained you." At this, River's expression became pained. She hated thinking about her childhood. So much of it was impossible to remember, anyway. Then all of a sudden her eyes grew wide.

"Doctor, there wouldn't happen to be any way for someone to break into the TARDIS, would there"

He looked confused. "No, of course not. It's very secure."

"Then how did we get in here?"

"Well, I simply dialed in the coordinates to the sick bay using the vortex manipulator." He sounded very sure of himself.

"Yes, but if the TARDIS is very secure, then how was the vortex manipulator able to break in?"

The Doctor's eyes now grew wide, as well. "Oh."

At this moment, both of them took off running. River went to the console room to reinforce the security systems, and the Doctor ran to the sick bay. He ran in to find the cradle empty. Rain was gone.

**Cliffhanger! Try to avoid yelling at your screen long enough to send me a quick review to let me know how you like this latest installment.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well aren't you lucky? Once again, I'm bored so you didn't have to wait long for this chapter! Also, my story 'Savior' has been nominated for the Flawless Fanfiction Awards! So if you were the one who nominated me, please PM so I can personally thank you.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Doctor who **

"Hurry, hurry!" River was shouting as the Doctor ran around frantically, pulling levers, pressing buttons, and trying to fly back to the facility they had just left from. They didn't know for sure that this was where Rain was, but they didn't have time to find out, and this was their best shot at finding her.

"Okay, we're here," the Doctor said as they materialized. They rushed out the door without really caring about security this time. The plan was to find Rain as quickly as possible and get out without allowing the guards enough time to discover the TARDIS sitting in the hallway.

However, they stepped out the door to discover that they were surrounded by gun-wielding guards, Kovarian standing in the center of them. The Doctor couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something different about her.

"Hello again, Doctor," Kovarian said with that evil smile of hers.

"You were expecting us?" the Doctor asked as calmly as he could, considering his hands were shaking.

She laughed at this. "No. We expected you years ago. When you never came, we had time to reinforce our security systems. We were able to detect your TARDIS before you could even fully materialize."

The Doctor froze. "What do you mean, 'years ago'?"

She now burst out laughing. "I suppose you think you've been gone five minutes. News flash, Doctor: it's been eighteen years."

He grew paler then the white walls around him and looked over at River, who was positively glaring at him. He could practically feel her thinking, _This is why I should drive! _Now he realized what it was that was different about Kovarian's face: she was eighteen years older.

Gulping, he turned back to Kovarian. "We just came for Rain. All you have to do is turn her over, and I won't have to blow this planet off the map." He was finding it harder to contain his rage.

"Rain? Sorry, I don't believe we have anyone by that name."

The Doctor sighed, remembering his dream. "What about . . . Lyra?"

Feigned recognition flashed over her face. "Oh, yes! I do believe I know who you are talking about now. If you want, you can take her now."

This caught the Doctor completely off-guard. "Wait, what?"

"She's completed her training. You may take her now."

"Oh. Okay. Well, then . . . take us to her." His voice told of his obvious confusion.

Kovarian motioned to one of her guards to lead them to wherever they were holding Rain. "Just follow him," she said.

The Doctor turned to River, whispering in her ear. "Maybe you should wait in the TARDIS in case this is a trap."

She shook her head. "No way, Sweetie. Even if it is a trap, I'm coming with you. I can help you."

He gave her a disapproving look, but said nothing. He knew it was impossible to talk River Song out of doing anything she wanted to do.

They followed the guard down the long hallway that the Doctor had once described as "endless". However, after a few minutes of walking in silence, they came to the end. It looked just like a white brick wall, but then the guard placed his hand over a cleverly disguised DNA sensor, and the wall slid sideways, allowing them entrance.

Both the Doctor and River were clever enough not to step into the room, just in case the guard decided to lock them in. So they just stood outside.

The inside of the room was fairly dark, with just a single skylight to brighten the room. As River looked around, she felt a stabbing pain inside her head, and her face contorted in pain.

"River? What's wrong?" the Doctor asked, concerned.

It took her a few seconds to get ahold of herself long enough to answer. "Nothing. It's just . . . I think this used to be my room."

Hundreds of thought instantly came crashing through the Doctor's mind. _What if her "training" was the same thing they did to River? What if she wants to kill me? _Just thinking such things caused his breath to catch in his throat. He pushed these thoughts down, refusing to believe that they were true.

"Rain?" he called cautiously.

In the darkness of the room, they could make out a shadowy figure perched on the bed. "No," was the answer.

River was practically hyperventilating. She hated being back in this place. "Rain, we're trying to help you! Come out right now!"

The figure laughed, stood up, and walked to the entrance of the room. Now the Doctor could see that it was the same person he had seen in his dream. "If you're looking for Rain, then you probably have the wrong room."

The Doctor was getting irritated now. "Fine, Lyra! Just come on, we don't have much time."

She turned her gaze to him, glaring. "And who do you think you are, my father?"

He grinned. "Yes."

This seemed to anger her more than anything. She lunged at the Doctor, and River had to hold her back. "You're not my father! I know who you are; you're a murderer!"

He now took several steps back, an expression of pain on his face. Because he was rendered speechless, River spoke for him. "No. He's not. They just want you to think that. Believe me, I used to be brainwashed as well."

Lyra shrugged off River's grip. "I'm not brainwashed. I just know the truth."

The Doctor took a hesitant step forward. "Lyra, I know you hate me and want to kill me, but please come with us. We're offering you all of space and time. Whether you like it or not, we are your parents."

She looked at him menacingly, but for a fraction of a second, her resolve seemed to waver. "Okay. Just let me pack a few things."

Lyra walked back into her darkly-lit room and grabbed a poisoned dagger out from under her bed, hiding it in the waistband of her pants. She walked out the door to follow the other two back to the TARDIS. The Doctor tried to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

As they walked through the doors of the box, Lyra gasped slightly, but said nothing. After all, she had been told time and time again that it was bigger on the inside.

River watched her closely. She knew from experience that eighteen years of training didn't just disappear that quickly. She would have to keep an eye on her. For some reason, she had a feeling that there was a reason Kovarian had just let Lyra go.

**Ooh, I have some great ideas for the next chapters! Do you? If so, send them in a review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**This one isn't as action-packed, but I think it's a nice change. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Sadly, that is only a dream.**

Two weeks had gone by. The threesome had traveled to several different planets in this time, but as of yet, none had been life-threatening. This was probably best, considering the Doctor and River were keeping dangerous company.

Lyra hadn't done anything detrimental yet. River could understand this. When she had first met the Doctor, she had wanted to get to know him a little better too. But she didn't think that this was Lyra's intention. From what she could tell, Lyra was just waiting for the right time to make her move.

As much as River loved her daughter, she couldn't help but feel resentment, not towards her, but towards what they had made her. Was this how she had seemed to the Doctor? And what would happen if she did try to kill the Doctor? What if only one of them could live? River tried to shake these thoughts away, because the fact was, she didn't know the answers to any of them.

It was late at night. Or in other words, it was late according to the clock in the TARDIS. The Doctor was on his swing under the console fiddling with some wires. Lyra was sitting on the pilot's chair, arms crossed. River was tired, so she called "goodnight" to the Doctor and went off to bed.

She had barely sat down on the bed when there was a knock at the door. River figured it was the Doctor. "You can come in." But instead of the Doctor, it was Lyra. "Oh . . . hello." River was surprised to see her and was still having trouble adjusting to the fact that this girl was her daughter, especially when she seemed more like an enemy.

However, now Lyra didn't look very harmful at all. Her eyes were downcast, and her features showed a look of deep confusion. River motioned for the girl to sit down next to her, but she refused. "Is something wrong?" It felt strange talking to her as if she was just a normal eighteen-year-old.

"You said you were brainwa- . . . trained by them too?" she asked, and as far as River could tell, she was sincere.

"Yes."

"Did you ever get the chance to . . . to kill him?" she continued hesitantly.

River sighed, trying not to bring back the memories. "Yes."

Lyra paused for a moment. "What did you do?"

"I killed him," River answered calmly. She could see the confused look on the girl's face, so she continued. "I killed him, and then I sacrificed everything to bring him back."

There was another long pause. "Why?"

"I fell in love with him. I saw that he was the opposite of everything they had told me, and I simply had to save him. He's not a murderer, but a hero. Even as he was dying, he loved me, and love is the hardest thing to see through the haze the Silence forces on your mind."

Lyra said nothing for a while. It was obvious that this was a defining moment for her. In this instant she would choose who she wanted to trust and who she wanted to believe. After this, she would either kill the Doctor or risk her life to save his whenever he needed saving.

But she said nothing. She simply got up and walked to the door. _Maybe she chose to kill him,_ River thought incredulously. But then Lyra paused and placed something on the desk before walking out the door and down the hall to her room.

River waited until she was gone, and then went over to see what it was. Sitting there on the table was a sharpened dagger. She picked it up and sniffed it. Sure enough, it held the sickly stench of poison. River set it down carefully back on the desk. There was only one reason Lyra would leave her only weapon: she must have chosen not to kill the Doctor. This realization almost brought tears to her eyes. Almost.

She heard a tiny creak outside the door, and her head swooped around. Looking behind the door, she saw the Doctor standing there. "Exactly how much of that did you hear."

"Um . . . all of it."

Well then you should be relieved. She doesn't want to kill you anymore.

The Doctor didn't look relieved, though. "I know. It's just . . . wanting to kill me was the only reason she stayed here. Think about it. She's eighteen. She's spent her entire life in a cell. She won't be content to just stay here with us, even if we do have the whole universe."

River smiled, trying to keep herself from laughing. "So I tell you that your daughter doesn't want to kill you anymore, and you are only concerned that she's going to _leave_?"

"Well . . . yes."

This time she couldn't keep herself from laughing. "Oh, Doctor. We have a _time machine_ we can visit her whenever we want. It'll be kind of like when I was in Stormcage. Anyway, right now she doesn't have any reason to leave. She hasn't even seen Earth yet."

The Doctor sighed. "I guess you're right. But if she finds some alien boy, I have to approve!"

"Yes, Sweetie," River said through her laughter.

The next morning, they all met in the console room as usual. "So where to this time?" the Doctor asked as he swirled around the controls. "Lyra, how about you choose a planet this time."

"Rain."

"What's that?" he asked.

She spoke with conviction in her voice. "Rain. My name is rain."

The Doctor smiled proudly at her, and she almost returned this gesture. "Well then, Rain, where do you want to go?"

"How about Earth?"

River giggled, and the Doctor rolled his eyes slightly as he dialed in the coordinates to Earth. "Next stop, the Ponds' residence!"

**There wasn't as much as a cliffhanger, but I can't help but hint to the next chapter. You know how much I love cliffhangers. As always, your reviews make me happy.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow, sorry it's been so long since the last update. Finals have literally been ruling my life for the last week. On the bright side, I'll probably be updating way more often in the summer.**

**Disclaimer: I think you've all figured out by now that I don't own Doctor Who.**

They materialized outside of the Pond residence once again. Even though it hadn't actually been very long since their last visit, it felt like forever to River, who couldn't wait to see her family again. The Doctor was sure to land so that about six months had passed since the last time they visited.

He walked up to the door and continued to knock enthusiastically until Amy answered yelling, "Just leave the stupid package-." She was cut off as soon as she saw who it was. "Doctor! River! Rory, come see who it is!"

The four of them exchanged lots of warm greetings before the Ponds noticed who was standing in the background. Amy turned to whisper to the whisper to the Doctor. "Um, do you know that person standing by the TARDIS?"

He smiled and answered proudly. "As a matter of fact, that is our daughter, Rain Song."

Amy looked confused. "Wait, she looks to be about eighteen. Are you telling me it's been eighteen years since you've come to visit us?" This question was directed at River.

"It's a long and complicated story. Anyway, you probably don't want to hear it."

Amy shrugged. "Well, there's no point in standing around all day. Why don't you all come inside for dinner?"

River and the Doctor gladly accepted, following Rory into the sitting room. Amy paused to look back at Rain, who was still standing near the TARDIS, eyes downcast. "Rain? What are you waiting for?"

She didn't look up. "Oh . . . um, I think I'll just stay out here."

Amy looked confused but didn't argue with her. "Okay . . . Well, our doors are open whenever you want to come in."

Rain nodded. Amy walked back inside and rejoined the others, still thoroughly confused. "River? You said Rain is eighteen, right?"

"Yes."

She hesitated before continuing. River had said it was a long story, but if something was wrong, she wanted to know about it. After all, this was her granddaughter. "So where was she for the last eighteen years?"

River sighed. She knew that she would have to explain this sometime, but she had hoped that it wouldn't have to be tonight. "To put it simply, she had the same childhood as me."

Both Ponds gasped, looking completely terrified. Rory was the first to respond, a note of desperation in his voice. "What do you mean? You did save her before any damage could be done, right?"

Neither the Doctor nor River said a word. Their silence was the only answer required. Rory gulped. "So what now? Won't she be trying to kill you?"

The Doctor answered this time, certainty in his tone. "No."

"How can you be so sure?"

River and the Doctor exchanged glances before he answered. "Let's just say, we would both bet our lives on the fact that she is completely trustworthy."

The Ponds were slightly calmed by this, but still wore expressions of uncertainty.

Rain walked slowly down the street. It was a nice evening. The cool wind blew just enough to balance out the heat of the sun. For some reason, though, the streets were deserted. She didn't exactly know where she was going, but soon she came upon an old park and stopped.

There was a broken slide and a lopsided jungle gym, but Rain sat down on one of the rusty swings. She really needed some time to herself, to think. After all, her entire life had just changed in the course of mere weeks. Last thing she knew, her whole purpose revolved around killing the Doctor. Now, however, that thought repulsed her.

So what was her purpose, then? Surely it must be more than traveling around in a blue box with her parents. She needed to have her own life. Then again, she hadn't seen her parents at all as a child. What could be the harm of staying with them for a while? After all, the Doctor did have the entire universe at his fingertips.

Her musings were interrupted by a nearby noise. Somebody was climbing the broken slide a few yards away. It was a man that appeared to be about eighteen as well. At first, she thought nothing of him and continued with her thoughts, still watching him out of the corner of her eye.

The man sat down at the top of the slide, his back facing the side, the railing of which had long since been broken off. Rain now just assumed that he was meditating just as she was, however, for some reason, he now had her full attention, even though he was oblivious to her presence.

Now he laid back, his head and shoulders dangling off the edge. His eyes were closed, and his face showed an expression somewhere between torment and indecision. He bent his legs, preparing to push off. It was clear to her now: this man was going to push himself off and land on his head and neck. He would die.

Rain shot up off the swing and ran over to the slide yelling, "No! Wait, stop!"

He didn't sit upright or back away, but rather, opened his eyes slowly as if he had known she was there all along. His response was calm. "Why?"

She didn't know what to say. What was there for her to say? After all, she was a trained assassin. Her entire life was spent preparing to deal with the issue of death calmly. "I . . . I don't know. I don't know what you know, but what I do know is that it gets better. Trust me, I doubt your life could have been worse than mine, but here I am."

This seemed to upset him, but now he sat up, raising his voice. "How could you possibly know that your life is worse than mine? I've got no one, absolutely no one left. What could possibly be worse than that?"

Rain answered calmly. "You could have been kidnapped as a child and brainwashed to be an assassin specifically trained to kill your father."

The man was unsurprisingly rendered speechless at this. "I . . . I'm sorry I didn't know."

"It's okay. It all worked out in the end. Well, sort of," Rain shrugged. "But my life isn't the point right now. What can I say to make you come down from there?"

The man laughed, but it was sarcastic. "Well, I guess you would have to say that you have a new family waiting for me."

"Okay."

This caught him off-guard. "Wait, what?"

Rain shrugged again. "I said okay."

He looked at her suspiciously. "I thought you said you didn't have a family."

She shook her head. "I said I was trained to kill my father. So was my mother. But neither of us made that choice."

At this, the man slowly came down. He stood in front of her a little awkwardly. "Sorry about all that. I didn't mean anything personal."

"It's okay," she said holding out her hand. "My name's Rain, by the way."

He shook her hand cautiously. "I'm Jet."

"Jet? I like that name. Well then, Jet, I suppose I promised you a family," she said with a warm smile.

**When I started this chapter, I didn't think it would turn out this well. I have some good plans for Jet, but if you do too, then leave them in a review. After all, the idea for Jet was given by one of you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**To be more specific, the idea for Jet came from 'Way Worse Than Scottish'. Thanks for the idea. I think it will turn out well. See, I do take suggestions!**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Doctor Who, but sadly, I don't. **

"So where is Rain, anyway?" Rory asked as they talked in the sitting room, waiting for dinner.

"I asked her to come in, but I think she'd rather be alone," was Amy's reply.

The Doctor, however, was still optimistic. "Oh, I'm sure she'll come in soon," he said as he casually wrapped his arm around River's waist, drawing her closer to him. Rory cleared his throat and glared, though, so the Doctor loosened his grip.

Then there came a knock on the door. "See, I told you she'd change her mind," said the Doctor as he got up to answer it. However, once he saw who it was, his expression turned from glee to confusion. He fully expected to see Rain, and there she was, but he hadn't expected her to be with anyone.

The man next to her looked to be about the same age as her. He was tall with unruly black hair. His eyes were dark brown, nearly black themselves. He looked as though he hadn't shaved recently, so the bottom half of his face was covered in stubble. From just looking at him, the Doctor assumed this man had given up. He didn't know how right he was.

Rain, on the other hand, wore an expression that was more confident and hopeful than he had seen yet. "Hello, Doctor."

The Doctor was slightly speechless at the pitiful sight of the man, but he was able to answer. "Um . . . hello, Rain. So who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Jet," she said, motioning to the man, who nodded in greeting. "I just saved him."

As if the Doctor wasn't confused enough as it was, this totally threw him off. "You . . . saved him?"

Rain nodded. "He told me he was alone, so I invited him over. Can we come in?"

The Doctor scratched his head. "Sure . . . I guess." He turned to allow them entrance and called over his shoulder, "Amy, I think you're going to need to set another place at the table."

The first part of dinner was spent recounting the story from the park. Jet didn't say much, only nodded and smiled. Everyone could tell that he didn't exactly seem like he wanted to talk, so they didn't press the subject.

Somewhere in the middle of dinner, the conversation transitioned into the Doctor's and River's latest adventures, leaving out the search and rescue, of course.

Jet wasn't exactly sure what to think of this. Part of him dismissed the stories as gibberish, but the Doctor wove the stories so intricately that he couldn't help but wonder if it was all true. This wasn't the only strange thing he sensed about this family, either. The couple Rain had described as her parents hardly looked old enough to have a child her age. And the couple she called her grandparents were actually younger than her parents!

All these things made Jet even more inclined to believe the stories of the man everyone was calling the "Doctor". This family was definitely strange, but for some reason he felt right at home. If anyone else had been telling these stories, he would have dismissed them as insane and ran away. But instead, he was drawn to them. Not only that, Rain had saved his life. It didn't matter that he was the one who had endangered it in the first place; it still counted, and he felt as if he owed her something.

Soon, Jet found himself laughing, responding, and joining the conversation, much to his own surprise. No one ventured to ask him what had happened, or why his life had needed saving, and he was grateful for that. Still, he knew he would find himself confessing everything to these people anyway.

Slowly, the conversation died down as everyone finished their meals. Jet stood up. "Thank you all so much for welcoming me. It means so much more than you could know. But I think I should be going now."

"Wait!" Rain called as he turned to go. "Where are you going to go? I thought you said you had no one left." Someone in the room gasped. They had known that Rain had saved his life, but they didn't know anything else about this strange man.

He didn't turn around to face her for fear that if he did, his resolve would be broken. "Don't worry about me. I can find a way."

Rain looked to the Doctor pleadingly, and he nodded. "Jet, did you believe all of those stories I told?"

This surprised him so much that he had to turn around. Although, he wasn't actually sure what his answer would be. His faltered as he spoke. "I . . . I don't know. I'm not really sure."

"Well you should, because they're all real. I'm really a time traveler. We really went on all of those unbelievable adventures. Just ask Rain."

Jet looked at her for confirmation, and she nodded. For some reason, her agreement made this easier to believe than anything the Doctor had said. "So? So what if you're a time traveler?"

The Doctor stood, walking over to where he stood. "So I'm asking you to join us."

Jet laughed. This was definitely the first time he had been asked to travel through time and space, and he still wasn't fully convinced it was possible. However, if there was anything, anything at all, that could take him away from his current situation, he would be willing to try it. "As much as I'd love to forget this whole planet, how do I know that you're not insane?"

The Doctor smiled. "This is my favorite part."

After saying their goodbyes to the Ponds, River, the Doctor, Rain, and Jet made their way outside to the TARDIS. At this point, Jet smirked and said, "So this is your time machine? It looks a little small."

At this, the Doctor smiled and snapped his fingers, revealing the vast expanse of the TARDIS's interior. Jet was rendered speechless, so the Doctor answered for him. "Yep, it's bigger on the inside. So now do you believe me?"

Jet nodded, his mouth hanging open slightly as he stepped inside. Once he recovered his speech he said, "So you really do have a time machine. And you really want me to come with you?"

It was Rain who answered. "Yes."

He smiled down at her as River (with the intervention of the Doctor) began pressing buttons and pulling levers to find a new destination. All of a sudden, he wrapped her into his arms, tears practically spilling out of his eyes. He murmured something that was just barely intelligible: "Thank you."

To her own surprise, Rain felt herself returning the embrace. "You're welcome." When they broke apart, she noticed something wet on her face. That was weird; she couldn't really remember the last time she had cried. But it felt good. When Jet reached down to entwine his fingers with her, all she could think about was how today had been the best day of her twisted life.

**Please review, especially if you have any suggestions!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, so this time, it's my own fault for not updating sooner. This week just seemed . . . off for some reason. Anyway, HUGE thanks to "Way Worse Than Scottish", who has yet again given me an amazing idea that I never would have thought of. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but I guess Rain and Jet are mine.**

It was the day after their trip to the Ponds'. Rain and Jet stood near the console, while River and the Doctor argued about how to fly the TARDIS. Nothing new there. However, River won, as always.

"So where exactly are we going, again?" asked Rain.

"Well, if the Doctor hasn't flown us too far off course, we _were_ planning on going to that planet that is completely covered in mountains. The views are amazing," River answered with a slight shake of her head.

The Doctor pouted. "I didn't fly us off course. After a thousand years, I think I know how to fly my own TARDIS."

All of a sudden, the TARDIS jerked sharply as the engines began to fail. The Doctor ran over to the monitor, only to find that its vision was blurred over in lines of black and white. He slapped the side of it, just in case that happened to work for a change. As always, though, it didn't.

"Someone want to explain what's happening?" yelled Jet.

The Doctor grabbed onto the railing, yelling over the blaring warning sirens. "Nobody panic, but I think we might be crashing. Just grab onto the railing, and you should be fine."

They all did as he said, bracing for impact. In a matter of seconds there was a huge jolt that threw them over the railing. After this, though, the TARDIS was still. They had landed. The Doctor shooed everyone out so the TARDIS could repair herself.

"This is why you should have let me drive!" yelled the Doctor.

"Oh, please. The only reason we crashed is because you flew us off course."

The blame game continued back and forth for several minutes before either of them realized that this was definitely not the mountain planet.

They were surrounded by tall trees that looked vaguely similar to pine trees on earth. These shot up from the ground for as far as they could see, and there were no other living creatures around. This wouldn't seem very unusual, except for the fact that a three-foot thick sheet of fog covered the entire forest floor, creating an ominous atmosphere. Not only that, but the trees were so close together that hardly any light was able to pass through.

Rain spoke up first. "Where exactly are we?"

All heads turned to the Doctor. "Um . . . I, I'm not entirely sure. But in a place like this there has to be some intelligent life forms. We can find them easier if we split up. River and I will go that way," he said, pointing behind them, "and you two can go that way." At this, he pointed straight ahead.

Rain nodded and began to start walking, but Jet stopped. "Wait, Doctor, how will we contact you if we do find life?"

The Doctor smiled. "Nice catch. Here, take this." He handed him something that looked like a walkie-talkie. "If you find anyone, just give me a call. Good luck." With that, each couple headed off in their respective directions.

For several minutes the Doctor and River walked in silence. Then the Doctor stopped. "Are you still mad at me for the whole 'crashing the TARDIS' thing."

River shook her head. "No. I'm just thinking."

The Doctor let out a relieved sigh. "Oh. Thinking about what?"

She looked away, not meeting his eyes. "Nothing . . . or everything, whichever you prefer."

This wasn't good. He could always tell how upset she was by the vagueness of her replies, so something was definitely wrong. "I know that's not true." His tone was soft. He reached out to move her chin so that he could see her eyes.

Now he could see why she had turned away: her eyes were wet with tears that hadn't fallen. She didn't answer him. She simply threw her arms around his neck. He didn't push the subject. River always told him what was on her mind eventually. She would answer when she felt the time was right.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. Then she pulled back and kissed him. This was the first time she'd kissed him like this since she'd discovered she was pregnant. For the Doctor, it was a welcome surprise that he willingly accepted.

But River pulled away. She looked at him with an expression of pain. "This is what's wrong."

The Doctor was taken aback. His features showed fear, as though he was afraid that a day would come when River Song could no longer put up with him. "What?"

She read his features and quickly responded. "No, no. Sweetie, how could you ever think I meant that? No, I mean we can't do this anymore. I can't be pregnant again. All that will do is risk our lives and the lives of everyone around us."

The Doctor was relieved, as this was much better than what he had expected. "Oh. Whew. Actually, I'd already thought about this. When you think about it, it really doesn't matter that much as long as your still here."

She obviously wasn't expecting this answer. "I am still here. And I don't plan on leaving as long as you can still deal with me."

He pulled her into a hug, laughing as he did so. "I'll try."

Suddenly, a light turned on in the distance. "River, look at that."

She turned around. "What? I don't see anything."

The Doctor looked at her like she was insane. "How do you not see it? It's clear as day! Not only that, it looks fairly close. Come on, let's have a look."

River, who still had no idea what he was talking about, shrugged and followed him for about half a mile. They found themselves standing in front of an old log cabin. "Aha! See, I told you there was life here! And someone must be home because the light is on."

Now it was River's turn to look at him like he was insane. "Sweetie, this house looks like no one's lived in it in years. The windows are all pitch black."

He looked over at her. She didn't look like she was lying. Maybe she legitimately couldn't see the light. "Well, I'm not quite sure why you can't see it, but I'm going to go have a look." He walked up to the door and knocked. After waiting for an answer that never came, he let himself in, as the door was unlocked.

River listened closely. Because the house was so old, the floor creaked with every step he took. Then suddenly the creaking stopped. She waited several minutes, but the creaking never started up again, so she called inside. "Doctor, have you found anything?"

No answer. She called again. "Doctor?" Once again, there was silence.

River didn't panic. After all, he probably just found a basement or something. Then she jumped back, startled by the light that suddenly shone from one of the black windows. Now she could see what the Doctor meant.

After waiting a little longer for him to come out, she just decided to come in after him. She opened the door, walking slowly. After inspecting the entire floor, she came to the conclusion that not only was the Doctor gone, but there was no basement.

The only light in the house came from the one room she had seen from the outside. Trying to walk as silently as possible, she made her way there.

Once she was inside the room, River could see that the light came from a TV. Its screen, however, showed the same fuzzy black and white lines that had been on the TARDIS monitor earlier. The beam of light that shone from it looked almost tangible in the darkness.

River reached her hand into the beam, wondering if it was in fact tangible. As she did so, her hand began to tingle. Startled, she pulled it out. She needed to inspect the TV itself. This, however, meant stepping fully into the beam.

She counted to three in her head, and then stepped in quickly. A light flashed, and the room went dark. River, however, was no longer there.

**In this chapter, I was trying my hand at mystery/suspense. So what do you think? **


	15. Chapter 15

**I felt like I had to update soon, because that didn't seem like a very good place for a long break, so here you go. Suggestions are amazing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, yet Rain and Jet are technically mine.**

Rain and Jet walked side-by-side through the foggy forest only mere minutes after leaving River and the Doctor. They walked in silence, as they had only known each other for less than a day.

Finally, though, Rain spoke up. She didn't do this to break the silence, since she actually enjoyed avoiding conversation. Rather, something had been tugging at the back of her mind, and it needed to be answered. "Jet?"

He didn't look at her as he answered. "Yes?"

Rain took a deep breath before continuing. "At the park, you said you were all alone. So . . . what happened to your family?" Jet stopped walking now, and turned to look at her. His expression was pained, so she quickly added, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just curious."

Jet closed his eyes tightly, drew in a sharp breath of air, and answered. "My family had left to go on vacation a week before. They had practically begged me to come with them, but I'd refused. I'd just turned eighteen, and I was too anxious to have some time away from them." Here he stopped. His features looked so tortured that Rain intervened.

"It's fine. You don't have to tell me more."

He ignored her, and pressed on. "Two days later I got the call. Their car had stalled on some train tracks, and they couldn't get out fast enough." Jet choked on this last word as tears came to his eyes, yet he didn't stop. "I tried to go to relatives, but they don't live anywhere close. And my friends . . . well, they never answered my phone calls." Tears were now streaming down his face. "The worst part is that I should have been there. I should have gone with them. I should have been in that car."

Here, he finally stopped, as he couldn't speak another word through the tears. Rain didn't know what to do. For a moment she just stared at her feet, at a loss for words. Finally, though, she spoke up. "I'm sorry. That was wrong of me to ask."

Jet wiped an arm across his face in a useless attempt to dry his tears. "No, that's fine. I needed to tell that to someone, or else it would just weigh on my conscience."

Rain looked down at her feet. "If it's any consolation, we're your friends now. And I promise to always answer when you call."

At this, he seemed to cheer slightly. "Thank you. Now, what do you say we keep looking for life?"

"Sounds good to me," she answered with a smile. He reached down his hand, and she graciously took it.

They continued walking for several minutes, and soon they came upon an old log cabin. The windows were all dark, as if no one had lived there in ages. The couple walked around the outside to inspect it, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Finally, they came around and stood in front of it. All of a sudden, Rain jumped.

Jet was immediately on alert. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. That light just scared me when it turned on."

He gave her a confused look. "Light? What light?"

She looked at him like he was kidding. "Yeah, right. I know you can see it."

He shook his head. "Are you feeling okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm feeling fine. Look, if you really can't see it, just wait here and I'll go check it out."

"Fine," he said, still convinced that she was seeing things.

Rain walked into the house, and a couple minutes later, Jet's communicator that the Doctor had given him began to beep. He grabbed it and pressed the button to speak. "Hello? Doctor, I'm glad you called. We've just discovered a small cabin."

The Doctor's voice was panicked, urgent. "Don't go inside. Whatever you do, _do not go inside._ It's a trap. The light is a portal. River and I have already fallen into it."

Jet's muscles became stiff, and he ran as fast as he could into the house, but Rain was no longer there. He sank to his knees and ran a hand through his hair. She had saved his life, and he had just let her die. Not only that, but Rain wasn't the same as everyone else. She was the one person who could see through his appearance to find who he actually was. She couldn't just be gone. He would find her.

Suddenly, the TV in the corner of the room turned on, spreading light across the room. Jet jumped back, remembering what the Doctor had said. He scrambled outside and called the Doctor. "Rain's gone! What do I do? Please, you have to tell me what to do!"

The Doctor's voice came on. "Okay, just stay calm. The first thing you need to do is make your way back to the TARDIS. If Rain found her way to a portal, then that must mean that there are more than one of those cabins. If you see another, stay away from it."

"Okay, I think I remember how we got here. I'll call you back when I'm in the TARDIS." As soon as he finished talking, hundreds of lights turned on in the distance, making the forest seem like a night sky full of stars. Jet gulped, but made his way back to the TARDIS.

In a matter of minutes, he was back at the blue box. Luckily, the Doctor had left the door unlocked, so he just walked in. He pulled out the communicator and called the Doctor. "Okay, I'm in. Now what?"

"Find the control panel, and get ready to type in some coordinates. These will lead you to the cabin that we entered. The TARDIS will land in front of the TV, so you'll be pulled into the portal. Then it's simple. We get in, transport out, and then do the same thing for Rain. For that, you'll need to show me where she left from, of course."

Jet nodded, forgetting that the Doctor couldn't see him. He told the Doctor when he found the controls, and then the Doctor listed off the coordinates. Jet pulled the lever as he had seen the Doctor do, and seconds later, they had landed. He didn't know when the TARDIS got pulled through the portal, because he couldn't feel anything inside. Soon, though, there was a knock on the door. Jet opened it to find the Doctor and River.

They ran inside as quickly as possible, and collapsed on the floor, out of breath.

"Where did the portal lead?" asked Jet.

The Doctor answered between breaths. "I've been in a place like that before. It's a labyrinth of fears made for a monster. In each of the rooms lies someone's deepest fear. I always wondered how I got there the first time. This must be a different one, though, because I destroyed the last one." At this, the Doctor jumped up and began punching in coordinates. "But that doesn't matter. Now let's go find Rain!"

**I'll probably be updating a lot more in the next week. Probably. Most likely. Although, now that I've said that, I'm sure something will pop up to prevent me from writing. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello again! It's been too long since I've written a chapter. But now I'm out of school for the next couple of months, so you'll hear from me more often.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my characters. Doctor Who belongs to all those lovely people at the BBC.**

The Doctor burst through the doors of the TARDIS as soon as they landed back in the dark, foggy forest. River and Jet weren't far behind. The Doctor turned around to face Jet. "Okay. Now I just need you to show me which house she went in to. Then we just use the same strategy you used to find us."

Jet began looking around the trees. His surroundings were instantly familiar. "There," he said, pointing straight ahead, "We went that way. We're not far at all from the cabin."

The trio walked at a hurried pace in the direction Jet had pointed. After about a minute of walking, they came to a clearing. This was strange, as they hadn't seen another clearing in the trees like this at all. This appeared to be the only one in the forest.

The Doctor just dismissed it as normal and kept walking, but Jet stopped, sinking to his knees. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open. He was shaking his head just the tiniest bit. River, who was behind him, crouched down. "Jet? What's wrong?"

Now the Doctor paused to see what was going on. It took Jet several minutes to calm down enough to answer. "It's here. It's supposed to be here! It _was_ here. Why isn't it here?"

River took his hand. "Jet, calm down. What's supposed to be here?"

He didn't blink, only continued to stare at the empty space. "The cabin. It was right here."

River looked at the Doctor, but neither of them said anything. Suddenly, a light turned on in the distance. After a quick exchange of glances, the trio took off running towards it. In a matter of seconds they were standing in front of the TV.

"She could be in any one of these houses. So why are we choosing this one?" The Doctor was pacing around the room with an agitated expression.

"I don't know for sure, but what I do know is that when every light in the forest turned on, this one wasn't there. I know it sounds crazy, but maybe it moved from there to here." Jet was trying to convince himself at the same time he spoke these words to the Doctor.

Running his hand through his hair a few times, the Doctor answered, "But what if she's not there? What if that house has just disappeared? This is my daughter you're talking about!" His voice was slowly rising.

Jet stayed calm. "Then I'll go in and check."

The Doctor stopped pacing. "What?"

"I'll go in and make sure she's there. I'll call you on the communicator to let you know. If she's in any danger, I can keep her safe."

There was so much persuasive emotion in his voice that the Doctor had to accept. "Okay. If you don't call in ten minutes, we're coming in. There's a good chance this will lead to the same kind of place we were in, so the most important thing you need to know is: don't open any doors."

Jet nodded. His resolve was set, and he stepped into the light. A tingling sensation washed over his whole body, and soon the light blinded him. Then the tingling began to subside just as the light cleared from his vision. Now he could see that he was in a . . . hotel?

The doors were lined up in hallways, and each was numbered. There were even stairs at the end of the hall. He shook his head; he needed to focus on finding Rain. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he began to call for her. "Rain?" There was no reply.

After several seconds, he called again, louder this time. "Rain?" Once again, there was no response. He ran a hand across his face, not wanting to accept the fact that she wasn't here.

Jet called her name once more, but this time his voice held a tone of desperation and defeat. "Rain?" Ten seconds went by, and suddenly he could hear footsteps running toward him from an intersecting hallway. He braced himself for whatever was coming. If it wasn't Rain, then he didn't care if it was a monster. She was the only one he would respond to.

He closed his eyes, waiting to be torn apart by whatever creature was coming around that corner. The steps came closer: ten feet, now five feet. He braced for impact.

Then he was thrown to the ground by the force of whoever was running towards him. He opened his eyes to the most relieving sight in the universe: Rain. Her arms were around his neck, and she was holding him so tight that he thought she would never let go. But who said he wanted her to?

He saw that she was crying, and he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer. Now he was crying too, but they were tears of joy, tears of relief. She buried her head in his neck, and he rested his head on top of hers.

For a while they just stayed like this, but then Jet remembered what the Doctor had said: they would be coming in after him in ten minutes. They probably didn't have much time now, so Jet stood up, with Rain still in his arms. As he set her on her feet he explained, "Your parents should be here any minute now."

Rain nodded, reaching up to dry a tear from her cheek, but Jet beat her to it. His hand lingered on her cheek, and soon he was cupping her head with both his hands. Leaning down, he kissed her. Rain was ecstatic. After all, she had been hoping he'd kiss her. She returned it happily.

They could both hear the TARDIS engines behind them, but neither of them cared at this point. Their attention was mainly focused on the fact that they were alive, and that he had found her.

They only broke apart when the Doctor loudly cleared his throat, glaring slightly at Jet. "So I see you've found her. Now let's go." At this, he turned and stomped back into the console room.

River crossed her arms, trying to give them the sternest look she could muster, but in the end, she gave up. She just laughed, winked, and followed the Doctor inside. After all, the Doctor and she had done their fair share of kissing.

So the couple joined hands and made their way over to the TARDIS. "So now we're even," Jet said.

"What?"

"Well, you saved me, and now I've saved you, so we're even"

Rain smiled up at him. "Yeah, I guess we are."

**Reviews are amazing! I'm trying to make it to 100. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. Reviews make me happy. And if you have any suggestions, I always take them.**

**Disclaimer: For some reason, I still don't own Doctor Who.**

After another life-threatening adventure, all four of them had somehow managed to end up safely on the TARDIS once more. The Doctor whirled around the controls as he pushed buttons and pulled levers. (And, as usual, River followed him, correcting his mistakes.)

Then something occurred to her. "Doctor, when you told me the stories about the last time you visited this place, you mentioned something about not being able to get out."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about that. I fixed that problem a long time ago. It just required a little re-wiring, that's all." At this, he turned to Jet. "Now, let's get you home."

He said this with such casualty that at first the others hadn't paid much attention to this statement. It didn't take long to sink in, though. Rain spoke up first. "Wait, what?"

The Doctor turned to see the horrified looks on the faces of all the others, including River. "Yes, well, he can't stay here forever. After all, he's human."

"I don't think his species is the real problem," Rain snapped. "You have humans aboard as companions all the time! And what about Amy and Rory? They were . . . together."

Jet intervened now. "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean 'I'm human'? You all look just as human as I do."

The Doctor gave Rain an exasperated look, as if saying _why haven't you explained this yet?_ She walked over to Jet and took his hand, placing it on her chest. "Do you feel that? I have two hearts. And so do they," she said, motioning to her parents. "We're not human; we're Time Lords. If I'm killed, I won't die. But you will."

He shook his head, dropping his arm. "I don't care. My life is my problem. I'll take whatever risks are necessary to stay here with you."

Now it was the Doctor's turn to cut in. "I'm sorry, but this really isn't a good idea. Amy and Rory were either engaged or married the whole time they were aboard, and you two are . . . eighteen!" Rain opened her mouth to object, but the Doctor stopped her. "I'm sorry."

Rain was practically in tears now, but she didn't want to cry. She ran out of the console room and down the corridors of the TARDIS. Jet shook his head in defeat and followed her.

Once the two were out of the room, River turned to the Doctor. "What do think you're doing?"

He threw up his hands. "Oh, great! Not you too."

"You're being ridiculous. You let me on the TARDIS before you knew I was your wife. And if you tell them that Amy and Rory were engaged, then that boy's just going to propose! You wouldn't care as much if she wasn't your daughter."

The Doctor looked shocked. "She's your daughter too, you know. Why aren't you upset?"

She rolled her eyes. "Rain has been locked up by the Silence for most of her life. The first time she gets a boyfriend, you kick him out."

He opened his mouth to make a point, but then closed it. "Actually, I hadn't really thought about that. But still, he's _human. _And humans _die._"

She shook her head. "Honestly, Doctor, there's a very small chance that they'll be together for that long. When they split, we can introduce her to other aliens, maybe even a Nestene duplicate."

He sighed, looking down at his feet like a five-year-old in trouble. "Fine. He can stay."

Jet followed her down what seemed to be an endless maze of corridors. After what seemed like miles, though, she entered a room, slamming the door.

He stood outside, not exactly sure what to do. Eventually, he decided to knock cautiously on the door.

Rain's voice came almost immediately, full of anger. "Who is it and what do you want?"

"Um, it's me, Jet. I wanted to talk to you."

Her tone softened at the sound of his voice. "Oh, sorry. The door's open."

Jet entered the room carefully, unsure of what was inside. He saw nothing unusual: the walls were TARDIS blue, there was a desk in the corner, and in the center sat a large bed. However, these were her only pieces of furniture. Rain was lying face-first on the bed, her head buried in the pillows. She didn't sit up when she heard Jet shut the door behind him.

He walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down slowly. At first, he said nothing, not wanting to upset her any further. Soon, though, he couldn't help but bring up the subject. "You know, you could stay on Earth with me. My house is too big and empty now."

At this, she did sit up. "I know. That's not why I'm upset."

This caught him off-guard. "Oh. Well then, what's wrong?"

"I had never really thought about it until the Doctor brought it up." She closed her eyes, forcing herself to continue. "The point is you're human; I'm not. When you die, I'll still be alive and well. More specifically: I'll have to watch you _die_! I know I should let you leave, just like the Doctor said. I should get over you before something happens to you. But I can't! I'm in love with you."

Her words hit him like a shock wave, stunning him into silence for several seconds. However, these few seconds were long enough to give him his resolve. He didn't need any longer to think it through. "I'm in love with you too. And I know I'll have to die one day. I'm pretty resigned to that fact. I don't care if you're a different species; all I want to do is spend every day with you. But if it will hurt you to see me die, I promise I'll leave right now and never bother you again."

She shook her head and grabbed his arm, clinging to it. "No. That's still a long time away. I want to spend as much time as I can with you, even if that's only a lifetime. And if it means I'll have to spend it on Earth, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

He smiled and threw his arms around her, his hands resting on the small of her back. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Rain called to the knocker, "Come in."

River was the one to open the door. She had made the Doctor stay in the console room. After all, she was much better at dealing with this sort of stuff. "Rain, I talked to the Doctor, and I think we've come to an understanding. Jet can stay." The couple exchanged looks of pure joy. "But please try to keep the flirting to a minimum when you're around him. You know how he gets." With a wink and a smile, she left the room.

River walked back to the console room to meet the Doctor. "They seemed pretty happy."

The Doctor turned to face her. "Yeah, I was probably overreacting."

"Probably?"

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, I was definitely overreacting. But she is our daughter."

River wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes, but you have to see things through her eyes. I can remember a time when we were young lovers too."

The Doctor gulped, but placed his hands on her waist. "That actually wasn't that long ago."

She giggled. "Oh yeah, I forgot." With that, she kissed him.

**Review and help me reach my goal! The hundredth reviewer might get a special prize. Or they might not. Whichever.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, especially the people who review every chapter. You're the best!**

**Disclaimer: Rain and Jet are the only ones who belong to me, so please don't sue me.**

For the next several days, things had been rather awkward between Jet and the Doctor. Neither would speak to the other, which didn't bother River as much as it bothered Rain.

The Doctor had just announced that they were headed toward some exotic planet inhabited by humans. Normally, nothing about this statement would bother Rain, except for the fact that he acknowledged everyone's response but Jet's.

"Okay, I've had enough of this! You're both being childish, and I refuse to leave the TARDIS until you agree to end this stupid feud!"

Neither of them said anything, only looked at each other with uncertainty. Rain sighed deeply, and crossed her arms, moving so that she blocked the exit.

Finally, Jet stepped forward. "I guess I'll be the bigger man and step forward first," he said with a cocky sideways glance at the Doctor, who rolled his eyes dramatically. He turned to the Doctor and reluctantly held out his hand. "Doctor, I'm sorry if I've done anything to offend you by falling in love with your daughter."

The Doctor had been just about ready to shake with him before he heard this last part. Immediately, he withdrew his hand. "What kind of an apology was that? Two can play at that game," he said as he straightened his bowtie and held out his hand, as well. "Jet, I'm sorry for trying to protect my daughter against punks."

Of course, this didn't make Jet very happy. His hands became fists as he lunged at the Doctor, who jumped back in surprise.

River immediately sprang forward to restrain him. Jet now discovered exactly how strong she was, as he was unable to break free of her grip, so he simply yelled, "Punk? Is that what you think I am? You're trying to protect her from me? I'm not the one who's committed genocide here!"

This remark really seemed to hit home. It was a sore subject for the Doctor, and so he found himself unable to formulate an answer.

River, however, knew exactly how much the comment must have hurt him, so she brushed back her shirt just enough that Jet could see her gun holstered around her waist. "I think now would be a great time for you to quit talking," she said with a threatening smile.

Jet stopped struggling to fight once he saw her Alpha Mason. River released him, and as soon as she did, he stalked out of the TARDIS, slamming the door behind him. It's a good thing they'd already landed.

Rain followed him out immediately, but River stayed inside with the Doctor, who seemed frozen to the spot. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

He didn't answer. A million thoughts were rushing through his mind all at the same time, vying for his attention. But all he could see were the faces of the people he had failed to save. What was worse, there were so _many _of them. So many people had died in the hopes that he would be in time to save them.

River put a hand on his face in an attempt to wake him from his reverie. "Doctor?"

He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut in an attempt to expel these thoughts. But his attempts were in vain, because no matter how hard he tried, they wouldn't leave. Jet was right. He was a murderer. How did he expect to protect his own daughter if he couldn't keep anyone else from dying?

River was really starting to get worried now. She rarely ever saw him this upset. She was getting ready to take him to the TARDIS sick bay, when all of a sudden he threw his arms around her.

She wrapped her arms around him to, as she knew he needed comfort. Still, he didn't open his eyes, only kept pulling her closer and closer, until eventually she couldn't breathe. "Um, Sweetie, a little tight."

He loosened his grip immediately, yet he still didn't let go. That was fine. She didn't really want him to. At least he'd heard her, though. For a moment she had wondered if he was stuck inside his head, out of touch with the rest of the world.

They just stood there like that for a while. Soon, though, the Doctor broke the silence. "River?"

The sound of his voice made her sigh with relief. "Yes?"

After this, he didn't say anything for a while, only continued to stare at the ground. River knew that he hadn't forgotten, though. With the Doctor, he would say whatever he wanted to say whenever he wanted to say it. This frequently got him in trouble, but right now she would wait as long as he needed.

Finally, he pulled out of her embrace and looked straight into her eyes. "You know what I was really looking forward to?"

"What?"

"Raising our child," he said with determination. "Unfortunately, that was just another one of the many things that the Silence stole from me."

This new train of thought caught her off-guard. River seemed to know where he was going, but urged him on anyway, just to hear him say it. "So what are you trying to say?"

Once again, he paused before answering. After all, this wasn't one of those things that you just said outright. "I think . . . I think we should have another child."

River knew all of the risks this would involve, but she couldn't help but smile anyway. "What about the Silence."

"It was my fault they took Rain. I forgot to put the shields up on the TARDIS. But I promise you, I will not make that mistake twice. Having to see my daughter hate me and want to kill me once was more than enough. So what do you say?" He looked at her expectantly, waiting for a response.

Her smile grew even wider, and her reply was barely louder than a whisper. "Of course."

After what had happened with Rain, the Doctor hadn't known what River's response would be, but hearing her agree was possibly the best thing he had heard in centuries. He was so happy that he couldn't help but sweep her off her feet and kiss her passionately. They broke apart just long enough for him to whisper, "I'm so glad you said that."

**I thought it had been too long since River and the Doctor had gotten a fluffy moment. Also, I got this idea as a suggestion from 'Way Worse Than Scottish', who seems to have no shortage of brilliant ideas. Keep 'em coming! Oh, and don't forget to review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello again! See, I told you I'd update more in the summer. Anyway, this chapter is basically what's happening between Jet and Rain while the Doctor and River are talking.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, only Jet, Rain, and any other time babies that might pop up soon.**

Rain followed Jet as he stormed out of the TARDIS doors. He seemed pretty angry, and she practically had to run to keep up with him. When she finally did, though, she could see tears of anger in his eyes. That was something new.

"Jet?" she asked, trying to get him to at least slow down.

He didn't answer her, though. As angry as he was, he was didn't want to accidentally go off on her. It wasn't her fault, after all, that her father hated him.

Finally, though, Rain stopped in front of him, causing him to almost run into her. "Jet, at least say something." Her voice was full of concern.

Jet took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down for at least a few seconds. "You might not want to talk to me for a while. I don't want to hurt you."

Rain was slightly taken aback by the anger in his voice, but she knew what he meant. So she didn't follow him as he walked off further into what she just noticed seemed to be a rain forest. At least, she didn't follow him immediately. She gave him some space before walking after him.

Soon, she came to a river winding its way through the trees. Jet was seated along the opposite bank. Rain walked a little further downstream before sitting down on the shore.

They just sat there like that for a while. Every once in a while she would steal a glance at him, but he didn't look at her, only stared at the river thinking about all that had just happened.

However, after a while, just sitting there began to get very boring. Then suddenly she saw the branches behind Jet rustling. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice. Rain was about to call out and warn him when she realized that there was no real danger.

This was because the rustling had been caused by a local who had just come down to the river to catch some fish. He had dark skin and was wearing clothing that looked to be traditional to the natives of the planet. He was, however, human, though.

Unknowingly, the man sat right next to Jet and seemed to be trying to strike up a conversation with him. Rain laughed quietly to herself. The poor guy didn't know just how mad Jet was. When he found out, though, he tried to cheer him up. Apparently, that wasn't working too well, as Jet soon shouted so loudly that Rain could hear it clearly from the other bank, "Go away!"

The man looked very insulted, and got up to find a more peaceful spot to fish. When he spotted Rain on the other side, his face lit up, and he crossed to the other side by walking on top of the rocks that protruded from the water's surface.

"Hello!" he called as he came over. This was surprising. Rain didn't expect him to speak English.

"Hello," she called back. "Sorry about my friend. He's not in the best mood right now."

"Yeah, I figured that out the hard way," the man said with a smirk. Up close, he looked to be about the same age as her. He sat down, cast his line, and propped the rod against some rocks so that he wouldn't have to watch it constantly. "I can tell you two are definitely foreigners, but where do you come from?"

Rain had to contemplate slightly before answering. "Well, I don't really have a home planet, but Jet's from Earth."

His eyes lit up when she said this. "Oh yes, I've heard a lot about Earth. But how can you not have a home planet."

Rain didn't really feel like going into the whole backstory. "It's a long story."

They were silent for a while until the man said, "My name is James, by the way."

Once again, Rain was surprised. "James? That's a very . . . normal name on Earth."

He wasn't fazed by this comment. "Yeah, we get quite a lot of our culture here from Earth." Now he lay back on the ground, putting his hands behind his head. "So is Jet your boyfriend or something?"

She really wasn't sure how to respond to this. "Well, I'm not quite sure. I guess so."

James sat up when she said this. "Really? Then why is he over on the other bank?"

"Well, he's pretty mad right now, so I don't want to upset him." Out of the corner of her eye, she could now see Jet watching them intensely, obviously jealous of this new man. Rain smiled. It was time to have a little fun. "James, would you mind doing me a favor?"

His face lit up. "Sure. What do you need?"

She lowered her voice on the off-chance that Jet could actually hear what they were saying. "Well, I think Jet is kind of jealous of you right now."

James caught on immediately. "Oh, so you want to mess with him a little?" He looked a little too happy about this.

Rain nodded, trying to hide her smirk in case Jet saw it. James wasted no time on this new assignment. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her, and she began to laugh just loud enough that Jet might hear.

Stealing a glance at him, she could see him squirming uncomfortably. "How's that?" James whispered.

"Pretty good, but maybe a little more."

James shrugged. "If you say so." With that, he planted a kiss on her cheek, and she proceeded to smile as if this was the best moment of her life.

This seemed to be too much for Jet. He now got up and came over to the other side on the rocks. He walked right up to Rain and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from James. "Leaving so soon?" James asked.

Jet turned around. "Yeah, well, sorry. She's kind of taken." At this, he began to pull her back into the forest.

Rain smirked and called over her shoulder, "Thanks, James!"

"No problem! Don't forget to visit." Now he turned and walked back to his fishing pole.

Jet stopped when the river was no longer in sight. "Wait, did you set all that up just to make me jealous."

"That depends. Did it work?"

Jet looked down and scratched his head. "Um . . . maybe just a little."

Rain just laughed and answered sarcastically, "Sorry, I wasn't quite sure if I had a boyfriend or not."

He pulled her in, kissing her more fiercely than he had yet. When they finally broke apart, he said, "For further reference: yes, you do."

**This chapter was happier than most of my others. I hope you like it! I loved the reviews from last chapter. You people are amazing! I literally smile like an idiot every time I get a review.**


	20. Chapter 20

**After a short break, I am back to updating this story! It's hard to resist my love of writing one-shots.**

**Disclaimer: I could write something witty and clever here, but I'm sure you've all figured out that I don't own Doctor Who, so I'll leave it at that.**

Jet and Rain held tightly to each other's hand as they strolled back to the TARDIS. After the incident with James, Jet had calmed down significantly and actually planned to apologize to the Doctor. As they walked, he tried to decide what the best way to go about this was, trying out his ideas on Rain.

"What about something like, 'It was my fault just as much as yours,'?"

Rain shook her head. "That makes it sound like you're blaming him too much."

"Well, it was sort of his fault," Jet pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "Regardless, maybe you should say something along the lines of, 'We were both mad, but that's still no excuse for the way I reacted,'."

Jet cringed. He hated apologies, especially when he felt that the Doctor should apologize first. But if it made Rain happy, then he would at least be willing to try. "I guess that'll have to do," he said, as they were now standing in front of the TARDIS. He took a deep breath. "Well here goes nothing," he said, opening the door.

He held it open, allowing Rain to enter first, and then following behind her. Their first impression was that the TARDIS was empty. That was odd; the Doctor and River had been in the console room when they left.

Now they started looking around for any clue as to where the two had gone. "Look!" Jet exclaimed, holding up the bowtie he had found on the floor. "That's strange. I don't think I've ever seen the Doctor without his bow-." He was cut off by what he saw next: a trail of discarded clothes trailing down the corridor. Automatically, his cheeks became bright red, and he dropped the bowtie.

Rain looked startled. "What? What is it? What did you find?" she asked as she began to walk over to where he was standing, looking rather embarrassed.

Before she could reach him, though, Jet took her hand and began leading her back outside. "I . . . um, don't think this is the best time to disturb them."

"What are you-." Her voice dwindled out as realization sunk in. "Oh."

Once they were outside, neither of them really felt like walking, so they just sat down and leaned against the door of the TARDIS, saying nothing for the longest time. Eventually, though, Jet decided to break the silence, no matter how awkward it might be. "So I suppose this means that you'll be getting a new sibling soon?"

Rain blushed. "Yeah, I guess so."

There was another long silence. "For the record, I've always wanted a little brother."

She looked up at him. "I thought you had siblings."

"All sisters." He smiled sadly, remembering.

"Well, there is a fifty percent chance that you'll get your wish," she said, attempting to cheer him up.

He laughed softly. "I'll take those odds."

The conversation ended there, with both of them caught up in their own thoughts. However, their daydreaming was shattered by the sound of footsteps from inside the TARDIS. "Do you think it's safe to go in now?" Rain asked.

Jet helped her to her feet, opening the door just a crack and peering in. "Yeah, I think the coast is clear." Once again, they entered the TARDIS.

The Doctor and River were standing around the console as if nothing had happened, looking perfectly normal. They didn't greet the young couple or even acknowledge their entrance with anything other than a smile and nod.

Finally, Jet was willing to approach the Doctor just to break the awkward silence, as they seemed to be happening too much today. He walked up behind the Time Lord, who was typing in coordinates, and cleared his throat. The Doctor turned around with an inquisitive look.

"Doctor," he said, holding out his hand and trying to remember what Rain had told him to say, "I'm sorry for trying to punch you. I know we were both angry, but that's no excuse for the way I reacted." He looked over at Rain, who gave him an approving nod.

The Doctor considered this for a moment, wondering if Jet had any sort of ulterior motive. Upon finding none, he took Jet's outstretched hand. "No harm done. And after all, it was largely my fault."

Jet scratched his head, trying to put into words the question he really wanted to ask. "So . . . then, is it okay with you if I stay?"

The Doctor glanced at Rain, who threw him a pleading look. With a sigh, he answered, "I suppose. Just try not to be so . . . flirty," he said, waving his hand around as he tried to come up with the word.

Now Rain walked as casually as she possibly could over to River, leaning against the console next to her. "So what did you and the Doctor talk about while we were gone?" she asked, trying to keep a straight face. Trying, but failing.

River didn't meet her eyes, but instead focused on the buttons she was pushing. "Oh, not much. Mainly, we discussed where we should go next." Rain couldn't help but let a little giggle escape at hearing this obvious lie. Now River's head snapped up. "What's so funny?"

Rain suppressed more laughter. "Oh, nothing. Just out of curiosity, did you discuss that with or without clothes?"

River shot her a positively deadly glare. "You came in early, didn't you?"

"Mm hmm," was all Rain could manage to get out, as she now gave up on not laughing.

River looked over to the boys, who didn't appear to be listening. "Was Jet with you?"

"Yep."

She ran a hand over her face to hide her embarrassment, but then just ended up joining in Rain's laughter. "Well then I suppose this would be a good time to tell you that we decided to have another baby."

**Don't worry, the monsters are not far away at all. In the meantime, as I'm sure you probably know, FanFiction had added that new image thing for stories, but I have absolutely no idea what the cover for this should be, so if you have any suggestions, please send them my way!**


	21. Chapter 21

**This story is so close to 100 reviews I can taste it. Help me reach my goal! Oh, and I do believe I promised monsters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, only Jet and Rain for now.**

River was furiously dialing in coordinates, not really caring where she was sending them, as long as she could avoid continuing her conversation with Rain. In fact, she didn't even glance at the scanner to check their location until a massive jolt threw all of them to the ground.

She grabbed onto the console, attempting to hoist herself to her feet amid shouts of, "What was that?" and "Did you turn the stabilizers on?" River rolled her eyes at this last comment, made by the Doctor. He hadn't even known there were stabilizers until she showed him. Even so, they _were_, in fact, on, which could mean any number of things, but considering how close to the edge of the universe they now were, she had her guesses.

As if to confirm these suspicions, the TARDIS began to slow down, all of the lights turning off. The Doctor turned to River, his eyes wide. "What have you done?"

"I . . . ." But before she could answer, an even bigger jolt hit them, and they all landed back on the floor.

The Doctor sat up, groaning. "I think we've landed."

"Well where are we?" Rain asked, trying not to panic.

"I'm . . . not entirely sure," the Doctor answered, walking over to the door. He opened it just a crack, peeked out, and then shut it quickly. "On second thought, I might know. Now everyone, just take a deep breath, because this next news might be a little shocking. We seem to have landed on a planet outside the universe."

River was immediately alert. "Oh, yeah, you told me about the last time that happened. So then, now what? Are we going to have to rescue the TARDIS or something?"

He walked over to where she stood, sonicking the console. After looking at the readings, he said, "No, I don't think so. The matrix is still there, but traveling outside the universe takes a lot of power, so she's probably drained for a while."

Jet, who was struggling slightly to keep up, asked, "So . . . now what?"

"Well," the Doctor said, clapping his hands together, "it seems we have a bit of free time on our hands, so I say we should explore! Oh, and don't worry; the gravity and air are all relatively Earth normal."

"Relatively?" River asked, raising an eyebrow.

He just waved a dismissive hand. "It'll be fine as long as we don't stay for too long."

This seemed to be good enough for everyone else, so they all shrugged and exited the TARDIS. The entire planet looked as if it was covered in craggy mountains. Just in case, the Doctor sonicked the ground. "It's okay," he called. "The planet isn't alive."

That statement didn't make Jet any less confused. "Um . . . good to know. I guess."

It didn't take them too much hiking to reach the top of the mountain they had landed on. Granted, it was one of the shorter mountains, but the view was still nice. There was even some grass and a tiny spring up there.

The Doctor was the last one to reach the top, and when he did, he was practically panting. River looked at him in confusion. "The man whose job is basically running for his life can't handle one tiny mountain?"

"It was a steep incline!" he blurted between breaths.

The other three laughed, and then sat down on the soft grass, listening to the sound of the trickling stream nearby.

All of a sudden, something caught Rain's eye. At first, she had thought it was a person, but the Doctor hadn't said anything about this planet being inhabited.

Jet placed a hand on her shoulder, sensing her confusion. "Something wrong?"

She looked back at him. "No, I just thought I saw a person for a second, but it was probably just the rocks." Just to be sure, she looked back. It was gone.

Rain gasped, causing Jet's attention to focus on where she was looking. "What is it?"

"I thought it was rocks. But . . . rocks can't just disappear."

At this statement, both the Doctor and River were alert. He now began to question her. "Tell me _exactly_ what you saw."

"Okay," she replied shakily. "Well, I looked over, and at first glance, I thought I saw a person. When I looked closer, though, I could tell it was rock. But the next time I looked at it, it was gone." She sighed. "It's probably nothing."

Now the Doctor and River exchanged terrified glances. "You don't think . . .?" River asked.

"Yes, yes, I do," he answered.

"But you . . . . And they . . . ."

"But we're outside the universe now." This caused River's eyes to widen in fear.

Jet, however, was getting annoyed. "Will someone please just tell us what is going on?"

The Doctor gulped, ignoring him and focusing on Rain again. "Now this is very important. When you were looking at the rocks, did they move?"

"No."

The Doctor and River jumped to their feet and immediately began scanning the area, the Doctor with his sonic and River with her communicator. "No life signs, of course," River called, "but there are a few things coming towards us."

"How long do we have?" shouted the Doctor urgently.

"About ten minutes."

"What is going on?" Jet yelled.

The Doctor motioned for them to follow him. "Now is _not _the best time to explain."

He stood his ground. "Well I'm not going anywhere until you tell me."

"Humans!" the Doctor said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Long story short: we're being hunted by living stone angels, happy? Now _come on!_" At this, Jet decided to stop asking questions and follow him.

The four of them ran to the path that they had taken up. Now the Doctor wished that the TARDIS could have at least crashed at the top of the mountain. About halfway down, though, River, who was leading the group, stopped dead in her tracks.

"River, what is it?" the Doctor asked urgently.

"Are there any other paths up the mountain?" Somehow, she managed to keep her voice steady.

"What, why?"

"Just answer!" she snapped back.

"Uh, not that I know of, no," he answered as he checked the elapsed time on his watch. Three minutes had gone by. He waited for River to explain her question, but when she didn't, he decided to ask anyway. "Why?"

Slowly, she lowered her communicator—which had been up to scan for movement—and turned to the Doctor. "Because I think this exit's blocked."

**Don't you just love cliffhangers? I know I do! Also, if you have any more baby names (preferably water-related), now would be an awesome time to let me know.**


	22. Chapter 22

**We've made it to 100! Huge thanks go to 'tardisbluephoenix' for posting the hundredth review! For doing so, if you put a suggestion in your next review, I will be sure to use it, no questions asked.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned it. I also wished for a TARDIS, but that wish didn't come true either. **

For a fraction of a second, every one of them froze. Then the Doctor spurred into action, pacing back and forth over the gravel path as he did so. "Okay, so we need to find another route back to the TARDIS. Most likely, we'll end up climbing down the side. We do, however, have one big advantage: the angels can't move when we're looking at them."

Jet started back up the mountain, but turned around again when he saw that no one was following him. "Well what are you all waiting for? Let's go!"

The other three just stared at him, petrified. River was the one to speak, her voice shaking. "Jet, turn around."

He turned slowly, as if trying to remain as still as possible. About a hundred yards up the path was a statue that hadn't been there the last time they checked: a weeping angel. Jet backed slowly towards the others, never taking his eyes off of it. "One more thing," the Doctor added. "Don't look into its eyes."

"Well now what are we going to do?" asked Rain.

The Doctor sent a sideways glare to River. "I thought you said they would be here in ten minutes!"

She glanced back at her communicator. "First of all, that was for the ones behind us. Second of all, that was nine minutes ago." Their eyes got wide as they realized what she had said. Snapping their heads around, they were able to see that the angels behind them were now closer than the one in front.

"Rain, Jet!" the Doctor called. "Don't take your eyes off the one in front of you. We'll handle the ones back here."

"And what will happen if we don't?" asked Rain.

"Well, you'll most likely be displaced somewhere in history," he answered.

River leaned over to him. "Sweetie, what exactly is your plan to get out of this?"

"My plan?"

"You know, the plan you always come up with at the last minute?"

"Oh, right. That plan." To be honest, the Doctor's plan had been to go back up and find a better way down, but that was out of the question now. Quickly, he began to formulate solutions in his head. He then narrowed them down to the one that they could do with the least risk of death. "How many angels are we dealing with?"

River checked her scanner. "There are ten between us and the TARDIS and only two following us."

"Good."

"Good?" she asked incredulously.

"Trust me," he answered, taking her hand.

"Always."

He couldn't help but smile. "Rain, Jet," he called again. "I need you to try and walk backward down the mountain so you can keep watching the angel. Can you do that?"

For just a moment, they looked at each other in disbelief. However, that moment was long enough to allow the angel to move closer and for another to come into sight. Jet quickly answered, "Yeah, sure, no problem."

Slowly, the Doctor and River advanced forward, keeping an eye on the angels in front of them. The Doctor spoke to River now. "I'll watch the ones in front, but I need you to watch the ones on the side as we pass them so that they don't sneak up behind Rain and Jet."

She silently nodded in agreement, and they processed forward. They were now practically back-to-back, allowing no space for angels to come between them. As they wound their way through the statues, the Doctor counted them in his head. _One, two, three, four, five, six_. Six? River had said that there were ten on this side, so where were the others?

Now, they neared the base of the mountain. The Doctor nearly sighed with relief at the sight of the TARDIS. That is, until he saw an angel on every side. By the looks of it, they had been attempting to break in.

They remained in their back-to-back positions, just in case the angels decided to follow them. Now they were so close that the Doctor snapped his fingers to open the door. "Okay, I'm going to count to three, and when I do, everyone get in the TARDIS as fast as you can. Got it?" All nodded in approval. "One . . . two . . . three."

At this, they all dashed inside. All of them, that is, except for Rain. Her arm was firmly in the grasp of a weeping angel. "Doctor!" she screamed.

The Doctor rushed to her side, ordering Jet not to take his eyes off the angel. Jet was eager to do anything and everything possible to help her.

Now the Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the statue's hand, attempting to make it release its stony grip. As Jet watched the angel, he attempted to calm down Rain, who was practically in hysterics. "It's alright. It's okay. The Doctor knows what he's doing. You do know what you're doing, don't you?"

The Doctor fiddled with his screwdriver. "Of course I do!" he said, slapping it. "I just need to find the right setting. Ah, here it is." He pointed it at the angel's hand, sonicking it. Instead of releasing, it just turned to gravel. Still, Rain was free. "Okay, he said. Now back towards the door and keep your eyes on them for as long as you can."

By following his orders, they found themselves safely inside in no time. The Doctor locked the door behind them, just in case. River was already busy piloting the TARDIS away from there. "We have enough power to get back to the universe, but she'll need to stop to recharge again soon," River stated. The Doctor ran up next to her to arrange for their next location.

Jet, who hadn't left Rain's side, reached down and lifted her arm, which was red and scraped from her attempts at freeing herself from the angel's grasp. She quickly pulled it away. "Don't worry," she assured him, "Time Lords heal faster than humans." Sure enough, she lifted her arm to show him that the gold light had already begun to envelop her arm. In a matter of seconds, any evidence of the scrape was gone.

"Wow. Maybe you could teach me how to do that," he laughed.

She gave him a sarcastic smirk. "All it takes is Time Lord genes."

Jet sighed, and then looked over at the Doctor, who was leaning on the console, talking to River. "Oy, Doctor!" he called.

The Doctor, who was surprised that Jet was addressing him at all, practically fell down as he tried to stand up straight. "Yes?"

"Permission to hug?" he asked hopefully.

The Doctor gave a defeated sigh. "Permission granted."

Jet now wrapped Rain in his arms, pulling her closer. He wanted to keep her there, in his arms, knowing that nothing could ever hurt her again. But he knew that was impossible, especially since he was only a human. So instead, he held on until the Doctor cleared his throat, indicating that they should break apart.

Jet looked cautiously back at him. "Permission to kiss?"

His question was met with an attempt at glaring. "Don't push it."

The look on his face was so comical, that Jet couldn't help laughing, which in turn made Rain laugh. The Doctor crossed his arms and pouted about the fact that his seriousness was never taken seriously. River looked over to see what all the laughing was about, and simply couldn't help but laugh at how much the Doctor looked like an angry child. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him.

The feel of River holding him was the one thing that could always make him instantly calm. It was only a matter of time before he found himself laughing too. _Somehow, _he mused silently to himself, _life-threatening situations always seem to have a way of bringing people together._

**Honestly, I didn't think that this story would go on so long at all. When I started it, I was planning to end it at chapter 20. Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews. You people are the reason this story is still going.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Wow, thank you all for your amazing reviews on the last chapter. Don't worry, I'm not planning on ending this story any time soon. I want to dedicate this chapter to all of the new readers that were willing to wade through 22 chapters to get to this point.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, River would never leave. Sadly, I don't.**

The next few weeks drifted by with relative ease. At least, they were able to enjoy a few nice trips without any monsters or conflicts.

Surprisingly, Jet and the Doctor had actually begun to get along. At first, the girls found it comical to watch how they half-heartedly interacted, but both of them were doing their part to end the feud, so eventually they may have actually seemed to be friends.

Jet knew this wouldn't last, though. He knew that, after he was about to do, the Doctor would possibly drop him back on Earth. But he didn't care; that was a risk he was willing to take.

Today was what the Doctor had called a "day off". The TARDIS was floating aimlessly through the time vortex, leaving her passengers to find something to do onboard.

At the moment, the Doctor was tinkering with some wires under the console, River had all but locked herself in the library, Rain was in her room, and Jet sat in the console seat, running things through in his mind.

He'd thought about this a million times, but now that he actually had his chance, he couldn't seem to find the courage to follow through. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small velvet box and began turning it over in his hands.

Finally, he came to the conclusion that it would probably be a good idea to consult the Doctor first. After all, if he didn't approve, the backlash would be worse if he didn't ask for permission.

So now Jet took a deep breath and walked down the steps to where the Doctor sat on his swing under the console. When the Doctor saw him coming, he took off his safety goggles and the wire he had been holding. "Hello, Jet," he said happily. However, when he realized the nervous expression on the boy's face, his tone changed. "Is something wrong?"

Before answering, Jet tossed him the velvet box, allowing the Doctor some time to figure things out for himself. After a few seconds of stunned silence, though, he said, "Doctor, I'm asking for your permission to marry your daughter."

Now Jet cringed, waiting for the outburst that was sure to follow. However, it never came. Instead, the Doctor just sighed, tossing the box back to him. When he met Jet's gaze, his eyes showed exactly how old he was, a sad smile playing on his lips. "Honestly, I knew this day would come. I just didn't think it would be this soon."

Jet stood up a little straighter, certain now that he would obtain permission. "So are you saying that it's okay, then?"

The Doctor got up off his swing and walked towards him. "You haven't known each other for even a _year._"

"I've known some people for my whole life that haven't meant more to me than she does." Now he wasn't so sure that he would hear a "yes".

The Doctor was now practically groping around for reasons against this. "Well then what about the fact that you're a human and she's a Time Lord? When you die, she'll keep on living. Do you really want her to go through all that?"

This caught Jet by surprise. Of course, he had thought about it before, but he had always just seen it as a minor difference in species, nothing to be concerned about. After all, she _seemed_ human. He hadn't reflected much on how it would affect her when he died.

Then, he remembered a conversation he had had with Rain once. "We've talked about that. She told me that she just wants to enjoy all the time with me that she'll have."

The Doctor, who had honestly thought that his statement had been enough to win this argument, now found himself defeated. He clapped a hand on Jet's shoulder, giving him an approving smile. "Then go for it."

Jet's eyes got wide. He almost stopped to ask if the Doctor was serious. Almost. After all, he didn't want him to reconsider. So now he ran through the halls of the TARDIS, all the way to the door that he knew led to Rain's room.

He paused right outside, tightening his grip on the small velvet box and hiding his hand behind his back so that she wouldn't see it.

Rain had already heard his footsteps running through the halls, though. "Jet? Is that you? Go ahead and come in."

With his free hand, Jet slowly opened the door. Inside, Rain was sitting on her bed reading a book. However, when he came in, she closed it, setting the book on her nightstand. She patted the bed beside her, signaling for him to sit down.

Jet shook his head, and Rain looked at him in confusion. Instead, he said, "Actually, I'd prefer to stand right now. Would you care to join me?" He reached out his free hand, pulling her up to stand in front of him.

Now he took a deep breath. His heart was pounding so loudly that he was almost sure that Rain could hear it. Slowly, Jet got down on one knee, causing her to gasp. He brought out the box from where it was hidden behind his back and, opening it, said, "Rain Song, I've known you long enough to know that you are the only one I could ever love. I promise to love you forever, no matter how long that may be." He paused just slightly, allowing her to take in the situation. "Will you marry me?"

The fraction of a second that followed was the longest of Jet's life. He saw tears in Rain's eyes, and her hands covered her mouth, so he couldn't quite tell if she was happy or not. Soon, though, there came a definite answer. She said it softly, so that he had to strain to hear it. "Yes."

Jet wanted to make sure that he heard correctly before letting himself get excited. "Yes?"

"Yes, yes, of _course_!" She threw her arms around him, making him land with his back on the ground.

He couldn't help but laugh with relief at her reaction. "Just one more thing," he said as he took the ring out of its velvet box and placed it gently on her finger.

She took a moment to analyze the ring. When he proposed, she hadn't really been looking at it. All she could see was him. "When did you have time to get this?"

Jet smiled slyly. "Remember a few days ago when we landed in Paris?"

"Yeah."

"Remember when I got 'lost'?"

Recognition now flooded through her eyes. "Oh, so that's what you were doing! I thought it was highly unlikely that _you_ could get lost."

He laughed softly, and then realized that they were still lying on the ground. Getting up, he pulled Rain to her feet.

"Do my parents know about this?" she asked, cringing slightly at the thought of what the Doctor might say.

"Yeah," he said. "Well, actually, I only told the Doctor, but he was fine with it."

This was not at all what she had expected to hear. "Wait, he was _fine_ with it?"

Jet shrugged. "He asked a few questions, but in the end he gave me his permission."

Rain considered this. "So I guess we should probably go tell River now."

He took her hand, looking down at her as he laughed. "As long as she doesn't have her gun, that shouldn't be too bad."

"Don't worry," Rain answered. "She's always liked you."

**This chapter came from the suggestion of 'tardisbluephoenix'. At least, this was about ¾ of the suggestion. The other quarter will come next chapter. Please review and tell me what you think of this new development!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry about the lack of updating lately. My life has recently been fully occupied by tennis. And my new Tumblr obsession.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who . . . yet. Maybe one day . . .**

The two of them walked down the winding halls of the TARDIS, through the corridors that they knew led to the library. As they walked, Rain and Jet kept their hands entwined, doing their best to hide the ring so that River wouldn't see it the moment she saw them.

As they walked into the large, open room, they found River sitting in an armchair surrounded by all sorts of books. She didn't look up when they came in, so Jet cleared his throat to announce their arrival.

River glanced up at them, but then went right back to her book. "Oh, hello," she said while turning a page. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Rain looked over at Jet, who motioned for her to start talking. "Actually, there's just something we wanted to tell you."

Now, River looked up suspiciously, marking her page before setting down her book. "What has the Doctor done this time? Please tell me he hasn't gotten himself tangled in the wires again."

Rain let out a short, nervous laugh. "Um, not exactly. Well, at least not that I know of." She began to shuffle her feet nervously.

However, her anxious demeanor didn't go unnoticed by River. "Rain, is something wrong."

"No, nothing." She took a deep breath, and slowly held out her hand, displaying the ring. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm engaged."

River's eyes got wide, but she didn't say anything at first, so Jet stepped in. "Don't worry. I promise I'll never let anything happen to her. I'll die before that happens. I know we're just eighteen, but if you just give me the chance to prove-."

But before he could finish speaking, River jumped up and threw her arms around Rain, tears brimming in her eyes. For the next several minutes, the library was filled with hugging and jumbled congratulations. Eventually, though, River calmed down enough to ask, "So how exactly do you plan on breaking the news to the Doctor?"

Jet gave a smug smile. "I've already told him."

This completely surprised River. "What do you mean you've already told him? I didn't hear any fighting."

"That's because there wasn't any," he answered proudly. "I just asked for his permission, and he gave it to me."

"Well then," River said, walking towards the door, "if you're engaged and I'm pregnant, then I guess it's time for another visit to the Ponds'."

After confirming with the Doctor that he had, in fact, been notified about the engagement, River set course for the Pond residence. They ended up landing only a few months from the last time, partly because they wanted it to look like they visited regularly, and partly because the Doctor _really_ wanted to land in the middle of summer.

The Doctor proceeded to knock furiously on the door until Rory opened it with a slightly annoyed expression that soon turned to joy. "Amy! We've got company!"

"Rory the Roman!" the Doctor exclaimed, pulling his father-in-law into a hug before leading the others into the sitting room.

Amy came rushing in almost immediately. "River!" she called, wrapping her arms around her. "I haven't seen you in months!" Then, she caught sight of Rain standing behind River and wrapped her arms around her as well. Amy pulled back to look at her in confusion. "Something's changed about you since the last time I saw you. You seem . . . happier."

Rain shrugged. "Yeah, well it helps that my head isn't filled with the Silence anymore."

"Well it's good to have you with us." Amy said, smiling. Now, she noticed Jet, who had thus far been trying to remain invisible. "Oh, I remember you. You're . . . Jet!" she exclaimed, glad that she had remembered.

Jet remained silent, but accepted all the hugs and handshakes. After all the greetings had been exchanged, they all sat down in the living room. Rory spoke up first. "So what brings you all here today?" he asked.

Rain and River exchanged a glance as if to say, _"Do you want to go first?"_ River then nodded, turning the floor over to her.

Now Rain addressed the Ponds with the same nervousness she had had when telling River. "We actually came here for a couple different reasons. The first of which is to tell you that Jet and I are engaged."

Amy let out an excited shriek before jumping up to embrace her. After Rory had congratulated her as well, he leaned over and patted Jet on the shoulder, whispering to him, "Just remember that I have a very sharp centurion sword, and I know exactly how to use it."

Jet gulped. "Yes, sir," he answered weakly, nodding.

Once all the excitement had died down, Amy looked over at Rain. "So what's the other reason you came?"

Rain looked over to River, who took the Doctor's hand before answering. "Mother, Father," she began, building up the suspense, "I'm pregnant."

This announcement was met with the same reception as the last, consisting of excited squeals from Amy, and sideways glare at the Doctor from Rory. The Doctor just laughed. "Well what do you expect? We _are _married." Rory rolled his eyes, but couldn't help chuckling to himself.

The dinner that ensued was slightly uncomfortable for the Ponds, since both of the other couples were so obviously flirting. At one point, Rory actually stood up to go get his sword, but Amy pulled him back down again, whispering, "Oh, let them have their fun."

"I don't mind Rain and Jet so much," he countered quietly, "but the Doctor and River have been married for quite a while now, and they can't keep their hands off of each other!"

Of course, none of the others caught this conversation, as preoccupied as they were with their partners.

Soon, though, it began to get late, so the four of them left the Pond residence after another round of congratulations and goodbyes. Honestly, the Ponds were slightly relieved to have the love-struck couples gone, but they would never admit that. After all, they only visited every few months.

Once back inside the TARDIS, the Doctor began spinning around the consoles again. "Any requests?" he asked, but the question was mainly directed at River.

She smiled deviously as she walked towards him. "How about Melody Island?"

The Doctor grimaced. "I'd love to, but I don't really think that's a good idea, considering the last time we went there you were abducted by the Silence."

River sighed. "They're always getting in the way. In that case, it is late. Maybe we should just stay in for the night."

"Yes!" called Rain, who was thoroughly exhausted.

In fact, everyone looked tired except for the Doctor, who was practically bouncing. "But there's nothing fun to do in here," he whined.

River just smirked at him as he realized what he had said. "Oh, I'm sure we can find something to do."

**Jet says review. You know you want to.**


	25. Chapter 25

**If I don't update as regularly as usual in the next week, it's because I'm preoccupied with writing an original story for a contest. Most likely, it'll be over by next Wednesday, though, and I'll try to keep updating this as much as I can. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but you all knew that. **

"So where are we going again?" Rain asked as the Doctor continued to swirl around the console, pulling levers and pressing buttons.

He stopped piloting for a moment to sigh with the frustration of answering this question for the third time. "Once again, _you two_ are taking the day off and going to Melody Island," he answered, motioning to her and Jet. "And we're going to stay here since the island isn't exactly _safe._"

She looked at him questioningly. "If it's not safe, then why are we going?"

The Doctor threw his hands up in the air before going continuing his dance around the console. "It's perfectly safe for you, just not River."

With the help of River, who had followed behind the Doctor, correcting his mistakes, the TARDIS soon landed on Melody Island. The Doctor shooed Rain and Jet out the door, insisting that they take the day off.

Once the two were safely outside, River turned to him. "Alright, what's this all about?"

"Well," he said, trying not to sound as excited as he was, "I thought it was about time we take a look at our baby."

Her eyes widened. "But . . . it hasn't been that long."

He shrugged. "Time Lords don't take as long as humans." At that, he held out his hand and led her to the sick bay, allowing the TARDIS to scan her body. "This shouldn't take long," he explained. "Any minute now the monitor will tell us everything we need to know." Even though he was trying to sound nonchalant, he couldn't help the wide smile that was breaking out across his face.

A few seconds later, soft beeping noises were audible. Immediately, the two Time Lords recognized it as a tiny heartbeat. The Doctor blushed, his cheeks turning a deep red. After all, even though they had a daughter, this was their first time having this experience. River let out a slight gasp of joy as the image of their child appeared on the screen.

The Doctor straightened up, adjusted his bowtie, and smoothed back his hair, exuding pride. "River Song," he said happily, "I believe we have a son."

She jumped up immediately, throwing her arms around him. He returned the embrace, and when they finally broke apart, he saw that tears of joy had been forming in her eyes. "So what should we name him?" the Doctor asked.

River answered right away, as if she had been planning this all along. "Storm. His name should be Storm."

The Doctor took another look at the monitor, chuckling as he turned back. "The Oncoming Storm. I love it."

"So why exactly did the Doctor kick us out?" Jet asked as they walked along the beach.

Rain shrugged. "I don't know. But considering what happened last time we left them alone, I'm not in any hurry to go back."

Jet laughed, remembering. "So why is this called Melody Island, anyway?" he asked.

"Melody used to be River's name," Rain answered. "She changed it after she escaped from the Silence."

Jet, who had never heard this story before, was now very confused. "Who are the Silence? And what did they want with River?"

"The Silence want the Doctor dead, so they kidnapped River as a child and forced her to kill the Doctor," she explained.

"But how can he be dead? I just saw him."

Rain sighed, not exactly wanting to explain the whole story. "Well, to put it simply, the Doctor was hiding in a robot replica of himself. Anyway, she changed her name after she realized that she didn't want to kill him." She shrugged. "It's more or less the same thing I did."

This surprised him. "Wait, what? You were kidnapped by the Silence."

"Yeah." Her eyes became glassy as she tried to remember. However, her memory only held bits and pieces of her time there. One thing she remembered very clearly, though, was the cloudy mist of hatred that would fog up her vision at the very mention of the Doctor's name. Now she shook her head, trying to clear this thought away. Rain chuckled lightly, trying to ease the tension. "I thought my name was Lyra. That's what the Silence had called me."

Jet was silent for a while, trying to process this information. Finally, he asked, "What was it like when you met the Doctor, then?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push down the memories, but it was no use. "I can hardly remember. All I know is that the moment I saw him, I became so angry that my hands were shaking. I wanted to kill him so badly, and I didn't even know why." Her voice was strained, and they had stopped walking now. Rain's face was a mask of pain. Jet didn't press the topic anymore, as he feared that if he did, she would break down.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, as if he could somehow shield her from the Silence. He looked down at her, cupping one hand around her face and lifting it so that their eyes met. "Listen to me," he spoke softly. "I know you're not a killer. I also know that you've changed and can control yourself. You're not just a puppet. And I can promise you that if I ever get the chance, I'll make the Silence pay for every second they spent with you."

She buried her face in his neck, wanting so badly to believe him. The fact was, though, he was a human, and even if he did seek revenge on the Silence, he wouldn't even remember it.

Suddenly, Rain fell to the ground screaming. Her hands were pressed tightly against her ears. Jet crouched down next to her, speaking frantically. "Rain? What is it? What's wrong?"

"That noise," she answered through gritted teeth. "I . . . I can't hear anything but that noise."

Jet looked around, confused. "What noise?" It was no use, though, as she couldn't hear him.

Out of nowhere, two men in black suits began to approach. As they got closer, Jet realized that they weren't men at all. Their faces were contorted, and they had three fingers on each hand. He was thoroughly terrified, but he stood his ground, refusing to leave Rain.

One of these creatures spoke to Jet, his voice hollow. "You are Jet Carson. You will run."

He didn't move, just maintained a firm grip on Rain. Apparently, she had been able to hear the words of this creature. "Jet!" she yelled. "It's the Silence! You have to run. They'll kill you!"

He stood up, addressing the Silent that had spoken. "I don't know how you know who I am, but I do know what you did to Rain. So I'm going to make you regret it."

The Silent made a throaty noise that sounded like cruel laughter. "You are weak. You will run or we will kill you."

Rain was practically in tears now. "Jet, just go! They want me, not you. Run! After you go, you won't even remember what happened."

"How can I just forget you?" he retorted, his voice hoarse with fear and indecision.

She looked up at him, pleading. "You have to." It was almost a whisper.

Jet gathered that once he turned away, he would forget this whole incident. So before running, he made one last promise to Rain. "I'll find you. Whatever it takes, I _will _find you. I'm not going to let them turn you into a monster."

At that, he ran. He got about halfway back to the TARDIS, and then stopped. Putting his hand to his cheek, he felt wetness. Well that was strange. For some reason, he felt angry and upset, but he didn't particularly know why. And where was Rain? The only thing he could remember was that he had a promise to keep. He wasn't quite sure what that promise was, but he knew he would die before breaking it.

**Thanks to everyone who sent a name suggestion. An overwhelming majority of people all requested the same name for if the baby was a boy, so that was an offer I couldn't refuse. Storm Song is on his way. And he thinks you should review. **


	26. Chapter 26

**This chapter is dedicated to all those people who are following this story, but hate reviewing. I know how you feel. That used to be me. And as always, huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own. **

Jet reentered the TARDIS to find River and the Doctor looking like the two proudest people in the universe. However, their smiles began to slip once they saw that he was alone.

"Where's Rain?" River asked, peering around him as though she was only hiding.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "I . . . I don't know."

Of course, after a response like this, the Doctor was instantly on alert. "What's the last thing you can remember, the last time you saw her?"

Jet tried to concentrate, though his mind felt very foggy. He remembered walking along the beach with Rain, talking. Then all of a sudden, she fell down and covered her ears. After that, his memory just sort of cut off, and the very next thing he remembered was running back to the TARDIS. "Well, the last time I saw her, she was on the ground, covering her ears. She said she heard a loud noise, but I couldn't hear anything."

The Doctor and River exchanged a knowing glance, and then began circling the console frantically, pulling levers and punching in coordinates as they did.

Jet kept waiting for one of them to say something, to explain what had happened and where they were going. However, when neither of them did, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Will someone please tell me what exactly is going on here?"

Once again, neither of them answered. They were too focused on trying to sort out the situation in their minds. Finally, Jet stepped in front of the Doctor, forcing him to be confronted. The Doctor sighed, annoyed that his thoughts had been interrupted. "Basically, Rain's been kidnapped by the Silence. The reason you don't remember anything is because they're memory-proof. You can only remember them while you're looking at them. We already know where their base is, though, so that's where we're going."

The Doctor waited for Jet to move, but he just stood there, trying to straighten out this new information. Finally, the Doctor just pushed him aside and continued his orbit around the controls.

River spoke up, now. "I was able to trace the Silence that kidnapped Rain. I'm programming the TARDIS to follow them so that we don't end up eighteen years late like last time," she said, throwing a glare in the Doctor's direction. "Okay, we've landed. The brakes are off, but they still have a detection system, so they'll know we're here."

"Right, then let's go!" the Doctor said, heading for the door. He let Jet follow him, but held up a hand to River, preventing her from passing. "And where do you think you're going, Doctor Song?"

"That's 'Professor' to you, and I _think _I'm going to help find my daughter," her voice sounded more than slightly annoyed.

"We're in the middle of the Silence's base, and you're pregnant. I'd like to have at least one of our children not be kidnapped."

She sighed. He was right, of course, but she still didn't like it. "Fine."

He smiled and kissed her lightly on the cheek before stepping out the doors. Instead of being greeted by multiple armed guards as the Doctor had expected, there was only one person waiting for them in the deserted hallway: Madame Kovarian.

"Oh, hello again," the Doctor said, trying his hardest to put up a friendly façade. "We're just here for Rain, so if you don't mind, we'll just take her and be on our way."

Kovarian answered this with her usual fake smile. "Hmm, but that would just be too easy. How about a trade?"

Jet and the Doctor exchanged worried glances. "What kind of a trade?"

"I'm not a fool, Doctor. I know that you will soon have another child." Now she began pacing in front of them. "All I ask is that you let us keep him for . . . oh, I don't know, a few years, that's all."

He glared at her, taking a slow step forward. "Not a chance. I'm not letting you take another child from me, and I'm not going to let River spend one more second with you!" he was struggling to keep his voice calm, but he was failing.

Kovarian stopped her pacing to smile wickedly at him once again. "Well then I guess we're at an impasse."

"I guess we are."

Without warning, Jet hurled himself forward tackling Kovarian.

The Doctor was completely shocked. "Jet! What are you doing?"

"Just go! I can handle this. They won't want me anyway. I'm human." His voice was strained from the effort of keeping the evil woman pinned down. When the Doctor didn't leave, he shouted again. "Go!"

The Doctor nodded gratefully before taking off down the hallway. Thankfully, most of the rooms had windows, so he was able to see what was hidden inside. Many of the rooms were either storage or were empty. At least, he thought they were empty. In reality, several of them held a Silent or two.

At the end of the hallway, he could hear someone pounding on a door, trying to break it down. This had to be Rain's room. When the Doctor reached it, he found that this was one of the rare rooms without windows.

Hoping for the best, he sonicked the lock. Rain practically fell out of the room, as she had been preparing to throw herself against the door once more. Dry tear streaks were visible on her cheeks, but relief flooded her features as soon as she saw the Doctor.

They threw their arms around each other, glad that the other was okay. "Where's Jet?" was the first thing she asked when they broke apart.

The Doctor smiled at the memory. "Oh, he just tackled Kovarian."

Rain gave him a disbelieving look. "Well then we better go help him," she said sarcastically.

The two of them ran down the corridor that led back to the TARDIS. Once they finally reached the spot where the Doctor had left Jet vying with Kovarian, neither of them was anywhere to be found.

The Doctor pointed to where they had been. "They were right there when I left."

Rain's eyes widened now, as she realized that this could only mean one thing. "Kovarian must have won."

Immediately, the Doctor took out his screwdriver, scanning around for any sort of clue that might help them find where Jet had been taken. Now he dropped to his knees, looking intently at a small red dot on the ground. "Blood."

Upon further inspection, there was more than just one of these dots. In fact, the Doctor found another one every couple of yards. He motioned for Rain to keep up as he followed the trail of blood that had been left.

Finally, the blood ended. The Doctor looked up to find that they were standing right in front of another windowless door. He gulped and turned to Rain. "You might want to brace yourself. I'm not exactly sure what we're going to find."

She took a deep breath, nodding. Now the Doctor sonicked the lock, opening the door slowly. Inside, Jet stood alive, but his hands and feet were cuffed to the wall. A long scratch ran down the right side of his face, dripping blood.

Next to him Kovarian stood holding a knife to his throat. "If I were you, I wouldn't take another step."

**Hooray for cliffhangers! Review and tell me what you think.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello again! As per suggestion, if you are new to this story, here's a rundown of what's happened so far: **_River and the Doctor had a child named Rain, but she was kidnapped by the Silence, and due to a miscalculation, she was eighteen by the time they rescued her. During a trip to the Ponds', Rain met a guy name Jet, and they instantly became friends. Jet began traveling with them, and the four of them went on multiple adventures. More recently, River discovered that she was pregnant with a boy, and she named him 'Storm'. Meanwhile, Jet proposed to Rain, so the two are now engaged. On a trip to a paradise island, Rain was kidnapped by the Silence, but when the Doctor and Jet come to rescue her, Jet ends up being held captive by Kovarian. _**That was about as short as I could make it. Oh, and if you review consistently, I will usually send a PM to thank you, but that's kind of hard to do if your PM is off (hint hint).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but you people already knew that.**

The Doctor and Rain froze. They both knew that Kovarian would be happy to carry out her threats as she held the knife to Jet's throat. "You _will _bring me the baby, or this friend of yours will die."

The Doctor realized immediately what this would mean. He looked down at Rain, not exactly meeting her eyes. "Rain, I'm sorry."

He watched as her face became a mask of horror. "Doctor, what are you saying?"

All he could do was shake his head. He didn't have the strength to tell Rain that he'd already made his decision. At this question, Kovarian laughed wickedly, pressing the knife against Jet's neck so tightly that a single drop of blood dropped to the ground. "I believe the Doctor has made his decision."

Once again, he turned away, not daring to see the expression of disgust that filled Rain's features. She turned to Kovarian now, trying to appear determined. Attempting to keep her voice from shaking, she said, "And what if it's not the Doctor's decision to make?"

"Rain, what are you doing?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

As she answered him, she dropped her voice to a whisper, making her words inaudible to Kovarian. "We can come back for Storm in a few days. They won't even have had time to harm him at all. But if we leave now, Jet will die."

The Doctor considered this for a moment, but just a moment, before shaking his head and answering her at the same volume. "Storm isn't born yet. I'd have to hand over River too. There's no way I can trust these people with both my son _and _my wife, even if it is only for a couple of days. With their technology, I'm sure that's more than enough time to harm them."

Rain shook her head, her eyes now clouded with tears. "We can't . . . we can't just _leave _him. Do something! Save him!"

The Doctor hung his head, ashamed to recognize that this feeling was all too familiar. "I can't."

Kovarian spoke up now. "Sorry to interrupt this little father-daughter heart to heart chat, but I'm afraid it's time to say your goodbyes," she intoned with mock sympathy as she pressed the knife slightly further into Jet's neck.

Her words petrified Rain. Unable to speak, she glanced over at Jet, whose eyes seemed just as calm as the day she met him, the day she saved him from himself. Though the knife prevented him from speaking, he was able to mouth out three words, the only three that needed to be said: "I love you."

This silent promise was enough to cause Rain to sink to her knees on the ground. Her last resort was to try and reason with Kovarian. "Please, please," was all she managed to get out, though.

"No." She spit out the word as if it were a curse. "You will bring me the baby, or you will watch your love die."

Rain watched as Jet closed his eyes, bracing himself. As he did so, she buried her face in her hands, incapable of watching what would surely happen next.

She expected to hear a gasp of breath as the knife plunged into his throat, but instead all that was audible was a single bullet shot. Rain dared to look up just enough to glance over at the Doctor. There he stood, his arms wrapped tightly around River, whose gun hung in a holster around her waist.

Once Rain saw it, she immediately had to shove down the tiny spark of hope that tried to force its way into her head. After all, there was nothing worse than losing newfound hope.

She didn't look over to where Jet was, as she was afraid of what she might see. However, her resolve was weakened by a noise. Someone was coughing, someone in the same place Jet had been. She couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes snapped over to where she had expected to see Jet's limp body still chained to the wall.

Instead, what she saw was a much more welcome view. Jet had a long cut on his neck, but he was still alive, as he was now coughing. Next to him, Kovarian was lying on the ground next to the knife, a bullet hole visible in her gut.

Rain wasted no time in getting up and running over to Jet. She was so happy that she didn't even care if her attempts at freeing him were useless, she still tried them anyway. One by one, the Doctor sonicked the locks on his cuffs, making it appear as though it was Rain who had opened them.

Once free, Jet fell into her arms, nearly unconscious due to oxygen deprivation. However, other than a scratch on his face and the cut on his neck, he was unharmed.

For a moment, both couples just stood in the safety of each other's arms, forgetting exactly where they were. That is, until a blaring alarm started going off around them.

"We must have triggered the alert system by sonicking the locks," the Doctor called over the noise. "Everyone, back to the TARDIS. Run!"

River took his hand, as always, and they led the way down the corridor. However, Jet only made it a few steps before becoming fully unconscious. By now, the Doctor and River were halfway to the TARDIS, and Rain could hear frantic footsteps coming from somewhere in the other direction, so she slung Jet's arms over her shoulders and proceeded to carry him as quickly as she could.

Soon, the blue box was just a few steps away, with the Doctor holding the door open. Rain silently noted that Jet was a lot heavier than he looked. However, she was able to take the few steps ahead of her before stumbling into the TARDIS, collapsing under the weight of Jet's unconscious form.

Once inside, and with the Doctor's aid, she was able to carry him to sick bay, laying him gently on one of the beds.

After doing so, the Doctor cleared his throat and muttered something about River piloting the TARDIS before exiting the room, leaving Rain and Jet to themselves.

Rain looked down at the face of her fiancée, which was scarred by a single scratch running down his face. She reached her hand out to his forehead to smooth away his dark hair, as it had become rather shaggy after all the time he had spent traveling with them.

She couldn't help but notice how peaceful he looked as he lay unconscious. After all the events of the day, he was probably exhausted, and so he wouldn't awake any time soon. Rain didn't care how long it took; she would be the first thing he saw when he woke up. So she pulled up a chair and waited.

**Every review you send helps to relieve me of at least thirty seconds of boredom, so you know, REVIEW (please).**


	28. Chapter 28

**Random comment of the day: so far, I've seen at least two stories whose descriptions say something along the lines of, "No Silence stealing babies." :D Hmm, sounds vaguely familiar. That's one thing you'll never see in the description of this story.**

**Disclaimer: I would not like to be sued, so I don't own Doctor Who.**

Rain didn't sleep at all that night. In fact, she refused to leave the side of Jet's bed, even for a moment. She couldn't help but feel guilty for everything that had happened. After all, none of this would have happened if she hadn't gotten herself captured by the Silence.

Taking a deep breath, Rain reminded herself once again that if anyone was to blame, it was the Silence. Still, that nagging sense of guilt clung to the back of her mind, and she couldn't rid herself of it.

Now she sat here, as she had for hours so far, stroking Jet's hair and wishing that he would wake up soon so that she could tell him she was sorry.

Luckily, thanks to the atmosphere of the sick bay, his cuts were completely healed. However, faint pink scars stood as a reminder of everything that had happened the day before.

As Rain sat there, she noticed that the TARDIS clock read "11:00am". She rubbed her eyes. It had been over twenty-four hours since she last got some sleep, but she couldn't rest now, she _wouldn't._

These musings of hers were interrupted by a small noise. Immediately, she recognized it as a soft groan from Jet. Her eyes were wide with excitement. "Jet?" she whispered. "Jet, are you okay?"

His groan was louder this time, and his face wrinkled in pain as he lifted an arm to shield his eyes from the bright lights in the room. "Ergh. I've got a terrible headache, but other than that, I think I'm fine."

Rain let out a breath of relief that she didn't realize she had been holding. "Well do you need anything?"

He nodded. "Sleep."

"Oh. Okay." After hours of waiting for him to wake up, his first words told her that there would be more waiting to come. She couldn't help but let some disappointment slip into her words.

Jet noticed this and glanced over at her. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her eyes were red, her hair was a mess, and her shoulders slumped forward. "It looks like you need some too," he said, scooting over and patting the space beside him.

This was exactly what she needed to hear. Without giving it a second thought, she crawled in next to him, wrapping her arms around him as he did the same. In a matter of seconds, both of them were fast asleep in the other's arms.

"How did you know we needed help?" the Doctor asked River as they stood alone next to the console.

"I didn't," she answered with a wry smile. "I was just planning to follow you anyway. Luckily, I found the traces of blood on the floor and assumed that you weren't far off."

He stuttered for a moment as he tried to think of an answer to this. Eventually, he settled on, "I thought I told you to stay in the TARDIS. I'd like to _avoid_ the kidnapping this time."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry. Hardly anyone even knew we were there. Besides, if I had followed your instructions, Jet would be dead right now." River smiled at him smugly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "So you think the moral of the situation would be 'never follow the Doctor's instructions'?"

"Oh, I figured that one out a long time ago, Sweetie," River laughed.

He couldn't help but laugh along with her. After all, this did explain quite a lot about their relationship.

Now the Doctor checked his watch. "Rain has been in the sick bay for _hours._"

"I don't blame her," River said, shrugging. "If you were in Jet's place, I would do the same thing."

"Yeah, I know, but she hasn't gotten hardly any sleep for a while. I'm starting to get worried about her."

She put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes, which always seemed to sparkle no matter how upset he was. "Fathers are supposed to worry about their daughters."

His brow furrowed. "But why aren't you worried?"

River gave a slightly sad smile. "Because I know what she's going through." The Doctor's eyes became unfocussed as he remembered that day by Lake Silencio. He remembered River's face when she was about to kill him, before she knew his plan. "And I know that no matter how worried she is, it will all get better once Jet wakes up."

She could see her words starting to sink in, but the Doctor wasn't totally convinced yet. "Can't we just go check on her? You know, just in case."

River sighed, rolling her eyes. "Sure, if that's what it takes to make you believe me."

He smiled before taking her hand and walking down the hallway that led to the sick bay. When they reached the door, though, they stopped. The Doctor put one finger over his lips to signal that River should be quiet. She rolled her eyes again as if to say, "I think I could figure that one out myself." Then, he opened the door a crack, just enough to see in.

The Doctor gasped at what he saw, his face growing red. "What? What is it?" River asked, trying to see around him. He shook his head before moving aside to let her peek through the crack.

As soon as she saw the two on the bed together, entwined in each other's arms, she began to laugh silently.

The Doctor stared at her, anger and shock clearly visible. "What's so funny?" he whispered.

She smirked. "Your reaction. Besides, they're engaged. Let them have their fun," River shrugged.

He glanced in at them once more before taking a deep breath and saying, "Fine, but if they aren't awake in a few hours, I'm going in."

**Review? Yeah, sure, go right ahead. Suggestions are also accepted.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello again! Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed and continued to follow this story. I know it's a little late, but I hope all my fellow Americans had a nice and safe 4****th****. Even if you aren't American, I hope you all had a nice day too.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, Doctor Who still isn't mine. Apparently not all wishes come true.**

After several hours of peaceful rest, Jet opened his eyes to find Rain asleep in his arms. He smiled silently to himself, trying to keep his breathing even as he looked at her so he wouldn't disturb her.

But it wasn't long before she began to stir, alerting him to the fact that she was now awake. Quickly, he closed his eyes to pretend he was, as well. He didn't want Rain to catch him staring at her.

Once his eyes were shut, Jet listened intently for any sound from Rain. He heard her chuckle softly before cupping her hand around his face. "Jet, you really aren't very convincing," she whispered.

His eyes popped open. "I thought I was," he laughed.

Now Rain turned over to look at the clock on the table by the bed. Her eyes grew wide at what she saw. Already a day had gone by since the incident with Kovarian. "Well," she sighed, climbing down from the bed, "I suppose we've slept long enough. How do you feel?"

Jet sat up, mentally performing a scan of his body. "I feel great. The pain is nearly all gone."

Rain reached out a hand to help him from the bed. "Come on. We should probably get back to my parents before they start to worry."

He grabbed her hand and hoisted himself up. Silently, he noted that he was much more stable on two feet than he had been when they'd been escaping.

The two of them walked hand-in-hand to the console room where the Doctor and River awaited them. "Nice to have you with us again," River called to them as they approached.

"I assume you slept well," the Doctor said, looking directly at Jet without a trace of humor.

The young man blushed, clearing his throat before answering. "Yes, sir. Very well."

Now it was River's turn to clear her throat. She nudged the Doctor, whispering, "Should we tell them now?"

"Tell us what?" Rain asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing," the Doctor blurted quickly.

Rain rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "Doctor, you do realize I have ears, right?"

Before he could answer, River cut across him. "It was actually my idea. After Jet nearly got killed, I figured we should get this over with before something worse happens."

Jet looked back and forth from the Doctor to River, trying to find anything that might help him know anything at all about what was going on. "Get _what_ over with," he asked, slightly irritated.

River just smiled, her eyes emanating her excitement. "You'll see. Just go into your room and put on the outfit that is hanging on your door."

Rain and Jet exchanged slightly worried, extremely confused glances before hesitantly making their way towards their rooms.

Once they had gone, the Doctor turned to River. "Don't you think this is a little too early? I mean, it's only been a couple of months."

River sighed. "I _told_ you. That's the whole point! What if they wait a few more months, and something happens to Jet? Rain would never live that down."

"But what if they aren't ready?"

"Sweetie, now I think you're just stalling." At this, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

Just then, Jet reentered the room dressed in a tuxedo. He was smirking, which was presumably a good sign. "I think I see what's going on," he said. "And believe me, I'm more than ready."

River sent an 'I-told-you-so' glance at the Doctor. Seconds later, Rain entered in a long white dress. From the moment she came into view, Jet couldn't take his eyes off of her.

As she walked up to him, he could see that she looked somewhat unsure. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Beautiful," answered Jet, who still hadn't even blinked since he'd seen her.

Now River took the Doctor's hand and silently led him out the doors of the TARDIS to allow Rain and Jet some time alone.

Jet stroked her arm, looking into her eyes and trying to decipher what was hidden there. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked her cautiously.

"Yes, of course." She wasted no time in answering. Still, that look of uncertainty lingered on her features.

"Then what's wrong," he asked softly. "And don't try to hide it from me. I know you too well. And I know that something is bothering you."

She didn't answer at first, only stared at the ground, wringing her hands nervously. Finally, though, she muttered an answer that was so quiet that Jet didn't even catch it. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"I said I'm scared! Okay?" she yelled, louder than intended. Her voice was shaking, and Jet could see the offending fear crouching behind her eyes.

Now he put his arms around her, drawing her closer. "Don't worry. I'm not going to change, and neither are you. We'll be fine."

At this, though, Rain drew back. "But that's not true." She could see the hurt and confusion in Jet's eyes before she continued. "Or at least, not _all _of it was true. You're a human. You'll change and grow and eventually . . . ," She gulped, not able to bring herself to say the word "die". "But I won't. I can live for thousands of years, but I can only spend a few of them with you. I'm not afraid of that. I'm afraid of what comes afterward."

Jet nodded in understanding. They'd had this conversation before, but he hadn't thought about it much since. He hadn't known just how much this was weighing on Rain's mind. He stood in silence for a moment as he tried to come up with something—anything—to say. But what could he say to something like this? No matter what, he would end up dying someday anyway.

So now he reached up to cup one hand around her face, looking into her eyes. "I know I can't stay with you forever, and I'm sorry about that. But right now, I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon. We might as well enjoy it while it lasts. And if . . . when I'm gone, I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

He sighed, knowing she wouldn't want to heed his word. "Just find someone else who makes you happy."

Her eyes got wide as she rushed to reply. "How could I possibly . . . ? Why would you even-."

Jet put a finger to her lips, silencing her objections. "Please." He said this one word with so much passionate desperation, that without even being fully conscious of it, Rain found herself nodding.

At that, he smiled, straightened his black bowtie, and offered her his arm. "Now will you do me the honors?"

In that moment, all uncertainty and hesitation was completely gone. "Gladly," she answered, taking his arm.

**Review! Reviews are cool. Oh, and this might be my last update for about a week, so don't kill me!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Okay, so I'm actually writing this chapter in the tiny bits of time I have, because I just couldn't wait. And I am happy to say that I am still alive! Wow, we're already halfway to another hundred reviews. That's amazing. You people are the reason this story is still going!**

**Disclaimer: I thought I owned Doctor Who once. Then I woke up.**

Rain and Jet walked through the TARDIS doors together, arm in arm. Any doubt that had existed moments before was completely purged from their minds. All that mattered was that they were together now, regardless of how long that would last.

As they stepped outside, they slowly took in their surroundings. They weren't anywhere special, just a small chapel that Jet recognized to be in Lower Leadworth. A long, narrow aisle ran down the center, each side lined with only a few spectators.

On the left sat Amy and River, both smiling back at Rain with tears glistening in their eyes. The Doctor and Rory sat on the left, looking as proud as ever. As Jet stood there looking at all the proud, smiling faces around him, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sorrow for the parents that he no longer had, who could no longer be seen smiling at him with the pride of those before him now.

In the front of the little chapel stood a man neither of them had seen before. He had short brown hair and wore a long military jacket. However, judging by the fact that he held a small book in his hand, the two gathered that he would be performing the ceremony.

"Jet! Why don't you come up here?" he called, beckoning the soon to be groom forward. In saying this, they could hear that he had what sounded like an American accent. Jet straightened his black bowtie (which the Doctor had hand-picked) before making his way to the front.

No more than a few seconds later, soft wedding music began to waft through the doors of the TARDIS, as if to say that this was her wedding gift.

However, as the music progressed, Rain slowly made her way forward. It was strange. All her life—the whole time she had been imprisoned by the Silence—she had secretly dreamed of this day. She dreamed of the breathless nervousness that came with walking down the aisle. But this wasn't there. As she looked forward, she saw only Jet's face, and she realized that whenever she looked at him, it was impossible to feel anything other than pure joy and love.

For this reason, she found herself thinking that the aisle was incredibly long. After all, that small expanse of space was the only thing keeping her from him.

The rest of the ceremony flew by in a blur. It was so hard to concentrate when all Rain could think about was the near future. She had given up on contemplating the far future. Without Jet, that was something she couldn't—_wouldn't—_picture.

The next thing she knew, the American man performing the ceremony was asking her if promised to love Jet forever, till death do they part. Without hesitating, she answered, "I do."

She looked over at Jet, who was trying to retain at least a little seriousness without breaking out into a wide grin. Soon, she heard the same words come out of his mouth. "I do."

It was all Rain could do to wait until the man said, "You may now kiss the bride," before she through her arms around him, pressing her lips into his as he gladly did the same.

They only broke apart when they heard a sharp scream from the audience. Whirling around to find out who it had come from, they saw River clutching the Doctor's forearm tightly, her face twisted in pain.

It took the Doctor a moment to realize what was happening. But once he did, the confusion on his face began to mingle with excitement. "It's time." Now he got up, slung River's arm around his neck, and made his way to the TARDIS, turning around only to say, "Rain, Jet, everyone else, don't go anywhere. We'll be right back . . . with a new addition to the family." At this, the two disappeared into the TARDIS.

A few slightly awkward moments passed as everyone tried to take in what had just happened. After all, what were the odds of a wedding and birth at the same time? Soon, though, things got a little lighter as the newlyweds began to mingle with Amy and Rory.

After a while, the man who had performed the ceremony joined the conversation. "Congratulations," was his first word to them as he shook hands with both Rain and Jet.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" asked Jet.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness," he answered, giving a brilliant smile that showed off his teeth. "I'm an old friend of the Doctor's."

Jet couldn't help but notice that Jack seemed to be looking at Rain a little too much. "Captain?" he asked, doubtful.

"Yeah. Captain. I work for Torchwood. But you can just call me Jack." He looked directly at Rain as he said this.

"Okay," said Jet as he took Rain's hand. "Look, it's been fun and all, but I think we'll just go wait inside the TARDIS, if you don't mind."

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Jack called as Jet all but pulled Rain back to the TARDIS.

However, they didn't exactly get any time alone, because as soon as they got inside, they were followed by the Ponds.

"Oi!" called Amy. "You didn't think you could leave without letting us see our new grandchild, did you?" The way she said this was rather comical, especially considering that they looked younger than their daughter.

"Sorry. Just needed a change of scenery," Jet answered, picturing Jack again.

So now the four of them sat and waited. The next couple of hours were spent recounting to the Ponds all of the adventures that had taken place since the last time they had met. They told them about the run-in with Madame Kovarian, and Jet showed them the barely visible scars that still ran down his face and neck.

Rain was right in the middle of describing how they had escaped, when the Doctor walked in carrying a small bundle. When he spoke, it was a whisper. "Everyone, allow me to introduce Storm Song."

Once he said this, Storm began to wriggle, opening his eyes just slightly enough that everyone gasped as they caught site of them, including the Doctor.

"Wow," said Amy. "His eyes are . . . very blue."

It was true. Storm's eyes were something different, even for the Doctor. It was as if both the sky and sea were captured in those piercing blue eyes, warring with each other, but coexisting at the same time. They were calm and restless, loud and silent, old and new, just as the Doctor's were.

So after he had taken in the sight of his son, the Doctor laughed quietly. "The eye of the Storm."

**So now that I'm back, I should be able to update more often. So what do you think of this one? Review? I'm going to go ahead and take a random guess in saying that you all are probably going to love the next chapter.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews last chapter! I'm surprised to say that we're over halfway to making another hundred! You people are absolutely amazing. **

**Disclaimer: I'm not even sure why I still have to put this after 30 chapters, but I don't own Doctor Who.**

After all of the excitement over the birth of Storm had died down, the Doctor dropped the Ponds back in Leadworth, and then took all precautions possible to ensure that Storm was completely safe. There was absolutely no way anyone could possibly land inside the TARDIS now.

Once Rain and Jet had finished changing into something more suitable, they reentered the console room to find the Doctor circling the controls as usual. "So where to, then?" he asked, not pausing to look at them. "Oh, I know! How about that moon made of honey? Or there's this planet that is completely covered in water except for a small island. How does that sound?"

For the most part, Rain hadn't really been paying attention to his rambling until she realized that these questions were directed at her. "I'm sorry, what?"

The Doctor huffed as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Your honeymoon, of course! Have you got anywhere in mind? Because if you don't, I'm sure I can come up with something."

Rain hesitated for a moment. Truthfully, she hadn't really had much time to think about it. After all, they hadn't exactly been given much time to plan anything out before the wedding. But she did remember something Amy had told her once: "Never let the Doctor choose your honeymoon. We ended up on a crashing spaceship and lost our luggage. Not a good idea."

So now she turned to Jet, hoping that he would have some idea. It didn't take him long at all to think of a destination. "How about Leadworth?"

The other three stared at him in disbelief. However, River was the one to speak up. "Leadworth? Anywhere in time and space, and you pick _Leadworth_?"

"It's where I grew up." He turned to Rain now. "I want to show you what my life was like."

Rain smiled up at him. "I think that's a great idea."

"Well then," the Doctor said, pulling a lever, "I don't really need to put any coordinates in since we haven't even left the Pond residence yet, so off you go."

Jet turned to walk out the door, but he could tell that the other three needed some time to themselves, so he just snuck out by himself, closing the door quietly behind him.

Once Jet was gone, Rain threw her arms around the Doctor, trying not to cry as she did. This caught him by surprise, so his hands flailed around for a moment before returning the embrace. "Hey," he said softly, "We're only going to be gone for a week. You won't even miss us."

"I know," she answered. But truthfully, there was just something she needed to say, something that was tearing her apart and should have been said a long time ago. So now she whispered it so quietly that even River couldn't hear. "I'm sorry I tried to kill you. That was before I knew . . ."

"No," the Doctor cut her off. "You don't need to apologize. It wasn't your fault."

As Rain pulled back to look at him, she felt that there was more that needed to be said, but the look on his face silenced her. So now she made her way over to River, embracing her as well.

"Don't worry. We'll be back soon."

Now Rain slowly made her way to the door, turning back to look at them. "And don't just set the TARDIS for a week later. You two could use a week to yourselves as well."

The Doctor put on a shocked impression, trying to hide the fact that that was exactly what he had intended to do. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Rain smiled at them, giving a little wave before stepping out the door and watching the TARDIS dematerialize in front of her.

She found Jet standing not too far away, leaning against a tree. His face was barely visible due to the shadows surrounding him and the fact that it was night. Now she walked over to him and took his hand. "So where are we going?"

He smiled down at her as he began to guide her down the street. "We're going home."

It turned out that Jet's house was only a few blocks away from the Ponds'. It was a nice house, run-down, but still having a quaint charm to it. There were two stories, and a little broken path led up to the front door.

Jet led Rain all the way to the door before reaching down to grab a key from under the doormat. It wasn't long before he had the door open, ushering her inside and turning on a few lights as he led her to what he said used to be his bedroom.

However, despite the fact that no one had been around for a long time, everything seemed mysteriously clean. When Rain questioned him about this, he just answered, "My relatives have probably been visiting to clean the place up just in case I ever come back." His words were hollow, though. He said them as if there was something he was holding back.

She remembered what he had said about his family. They had died in a car wreck not long before she had found him on the playground the day they met. She also remembered the pain that entered his voice whenever he spoke of them. Obviously, this scenery was bringing back a lot of painful memories of his past, or more likely, happy memories of times when he still had a family.

Rain didn't say anything; only let him escape into his own thoughts. After all, it was rare that Jet showed his emotions in such a way as crying, yet now silent tears began to fall down his face.

But still she remained silent. Now, though, she wrapped her arms around his waist in an attempt to comfort him, or at least distract him from the past. This seemed to work. At her touch alone, Jet began to relax, reminding himself that even if his old family was gone, he had a new family now, a new life. Rain was his life.

Upon realizing this, Jet forced down all of his emotions. There was a time to mourn, but now was not that time. He was on his honeymoon. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of both their lives, and here he was crying over something he couldn't change.

So now he reached out to put a hand on Rain's face, bringing it closer to his until their lips locked together in the way they had many times before. Only this time, he was less reserved. But Rain pulled back.

"I need to know that you're okay." As she said this, she looked deep into his eyes, trying to decipher the secrets that lay locked behind closed doors.

Jet knew she could see right through him, so he didn't bother with lying to her. "No. I'm not. I haven't been okay for quite some time. But I can do the same thing I've been doing: pretend and move on. It's easier that dealing with the pain."

Rain just sighed, not quite knowing how to answer this. She searched his face, but as she did, the pain began to melt away right before her eyes, turning into an indescribable form of joy. "How did you . . . ?"

"I told you," he said. "I've been faking for a while. One more night won't hurt anyone. Besides, this actually is the happiest I've been in months, without a doubt."

Once again, she searched his face, but all she found was honesty. He was telling the truth. This really _was _the happiest day of his life, both of their lives, for that matter. If he was willing to put the past behind him for a little while, she was willing to forget that she knew a thing about his past. Even if just for one night.

So now Jet brought his lips back to hers cautiously, waiting to see if Rain would reject him again. But she didn't. Instead, her hands flew to the back of his head, pulling him closer. For a while, they lost track of where they were; only knowing that this was exactly where they wanted to be.

**Review? Oh, you guys already know that. Anyway, I have an absolutely **_**devious**_** idea for this story. It may or may not happen soon, but I'm 99% sure it will happen. *Evil laugh***


	32. Chapter 32

**This chapter is for 'Canned It 2011-2012' who convinced me to update today. Shameless plug: some of my other writing is being featured on a website run by a friend, so if you like random stuff all compiled together, let me know and I'll send you the link.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Doctor Who, but my wish still hasn't come true yet.**

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor sat in a chair next to Storm's crib as the baby slept. River had given him specific instructions: "All you have to do is watch him while I get some sleep. It shouldn't be too hard."

So far, she was right. It hadn't been too hard. Storm was fast asleep and didn't show any signs of waking for at least a few more hours. The Doctor thought it would be safe to at least walk around for a little while. After all, the TARDIS was so well guarded that there was no way anything could happen while he turned his back.

So now he silently walked about the bedroom that Sexy had put together for Storm. The walls were a soft blue, with a projector that could display entire galaxies all over the room, just as the Doctor had seen once before. Across from the crib was a small chest full of toys and a table that could be used as a changing station.

All of a sudden, a piercing scream rang through the room, followed by several more which were accompanied by tears. Storm was awake and living up to his name.

The Doctor rushed over to him, quickly pulling him out of his cradle and rocking him gently. But these attempts did little to calm the screaming baby. Even though the Doctor could speak baby, it was quite hard to figure out what he wanted when all he did was scream.

Maybe he was just bored? The Doctor tried talking to him. "Hey, Stormy. No need to cry. Everything's fine. Daddy's here. Oh, please stop crying." Silently, he hoped that the TARDIS had sound-proofed this room. If River was to be woken up, she would never trust him to take care of Storm.

Now the Doctor went over to the toy chest, pulling out a small stuffed dog. He attempted to entertain Storm by adding voices as he showed him the toy. "Hello, Stormy," the Doctor spoke in a low-pitched voice, waving the dog around. This charade quieted Storm for a moment, but he soon burst into tears again.

The Doctor's knowledge on how to handle crying babies basically ended there. The only other reasons Storm could have been crying were that he needed a feed or a changing. Cautiously, the Doctor held up Storm to sniff his diaper. Immediately, his face wrinkled in disgust. Yeah, he'd definitely found the problem.

So now he made his way over to the changing table that he had discovered earlier and set Storm down on top. Slowly, the Doctor took off the diaper that Stormy was wearing and placed it in the trashcan. This was the point where he realized that he had absolutely no idea what to do next.

Even so, finding a clean diaper would be a good place to start. Unfortunately, the Doctor wasn't exactly sure where to look. So now he went around the room, opening every drawer in sight, yet finding nothing. No doubt Sexy was hiding them from him, he thought with a scowl.

There had to be some in the TARDIS bathroom. So now he quietly opened the bedroom door, popping his head out to look in both directions just in case River should see him coming. As he glanced back at Storm, he realized that he couldn't just leave the boy there unattended. So he carefully picked up the now naked Storm—who was still crying—and made his way to the TARDIS bathroom.

Yet, his search through the bathroom cabinets yielded no results. Not the Doctor was getting desperate. River would awake at any minute! What should he do? Still in the bathroom, his eyes rested on a wash cloth folded neatly in one of the cabinets. An idea was beginning to form in his head, so he snatched the cloth and made his way back to the bedroom.

Once inside, the Doctor placed Storm back on the table, applying powders and oils as he recalled seeing River do only once before. Now he put the wash cloth on Storm as he would put on a diaper, fastening the corners together with some clothespins he had found on his searches.

Perfect! Now Storm had stopped crying, so the Doctor picked him up and began to rock him gently once more, speaking softly as he did. "There, there, Stormy. Isn't that much better? It's not exactly a diaper, but you can hardly tell the difference. You should probably be getting back to sleep now. I guess that would probably be easier if I stopped talking . . . ."

As he did so, the Doctor watched as Storm drifted off to sleep once more. Now he made his way over to the chair where he had originally been and sat down again, still holding his son. Watching Stormy sleep, he realized just how tired _he _was. Oh well, there couldn't be any harm in resting his eyelids for just a moment . . .

"Doctor!" he awoke with a start at the sound of River's voice. The first thing he noticed was that Storm was no longer in his arms. He began to panic, until he realized that River was holding the boy, who was still sound asleep.

"River," he said, still drowsy from falling asleep. "You're awake."

"Yes. I am," she replied with annoyance. "But apparently _you _aren't."

The Doctor rubbed his eyes, still unsure of how exactly he had drifted asleep. "I only closed my eyes for a moment."

River rolled her eyes. "I suppose that's why you didn't even notice when I took Storm out of your hands?" He was about to answer, but fell silent as he saw that River had noticed what Storm was wearing. "Doctor," she said, trying to keep her voice calm, "what exactly is this about?" At this she motioned to the makeshift diaper.

The Doctor blushed, not meeting her eyes. "Oh . . . uh, that. Well, you see-."

River held up her hand to cut him off. "You know, I don't even want to know. I'll handle this. But one of these days, you're going to have to change him properly."

He sighed in relief, just glad that she wasn't angry. "Yes, sure. Great." He looked back at her hesitantly. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

River rolled her eyes in exasperation but couldn't help but smile. "Sure. _Now _you can sleep."

**Please leave a review. This came as a suggestion from an Anon, by the way. **


	33. Chapter 33

**Thanks again to everyone who's followed/favorited/reviewed this story. I seriously can't express how happy I am every time I see a review in my inbox. It's like waking up on Christmas morning.**

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.**

Jet woke up before Rain. For a while, he was content to just lie there and look at her, as this was one of his favorite things to do. He watched as she took long, slow breaths. Asleep, her face looked so much more peaceful, as if her childhood had been just as normal as anyone else's. So Jet let her sleep, wanting her to enjoy her dreams for as long as she could before waking into reality.

He stayed silently still for about an hour, and looking at Rain's face, he could tell that she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. So now he slid out of bed as quietly as he could and pulled on some clothes. It wasn't that he didn't want to be there with Rain. In fact, that's really exactly what he wanted to do. But he just couldn't stay inside any longer. This house held too many memories, and they never ceased to crowd his mind. As he pulled on his shoes, he decided it would be a good idea to take a little walk.

Jet left the house without a sound, not even thinking it necessary to leave a note for Rain. Surely he would be back before she awoke.

The crisp morning air felt refreshing as it blew through his hair. Subconsciously, he knew exactly where he was going. But without fully realizing it, he was headed directly towards the playground where he had first met Rain.

It didn't take him long at all to get there, and once he did, he made his way over to the one swing that wasn't broken. Once there, he glanced up at the slide that he knew all too well. That was where Rain had saved him, and he would never forget that moment. Because that was the moment that he fell in love with her.

Jet sighed as his memory was unwillingly sent back to that day. It had begun in tragedy, just as the previous days had: waking up to an empty house, calling for his family, and realizing all too soon that they wouldn't answer. They would never answer. That was all he could take. That evening, he had ascended the ladder to the slide, intending to stop all of this.

Then he heard her voice.

"No!" she had screamed, and as soon as he saw her, he thought she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. Not only that, she had saved his life. At first, he had felt as though he owed her a debt for this, but now he could see that regardless of whether she saved him or not, he would do anything for her.

Rain woke up later than usual. Without opening her eyes, she moved to rest her head on Jet's chest, only to find that he wasn't there. Now she was wide awake. She sat bolt upright in the bed, scanning the room in case Jet was just sitting somewhere else. No, he was gone. She shrugged it off. After all, it was highly likely that he could just be making breakfast.

So she got dressed as quickly as possible, hurrying to the kitchen to make sure her assumption was correct. However, when she reached her destination, she found that it was empty. Not only that, but the dishes were all clean; nothing had been used. So where was Jet?

Now Rain began to panic. After all, her family didn't exactly have the best record as far as kidnapping went. She rushed out the door, intending to go to the Ponds' house, just in case they had any way to contact the Doctor.

However, on her way there, she just happened to glance over at the playground where she had first met Jet. There was a man on the swing, hunched over with his head down, but she would recognize that shaggy dark hair anywhere.

"Jet!" she called, relieved that he hadn't actually been taken. But he didn't move from his position, only continued to sit in his hunched over position. Rain walked closer until she was only a few feet away. "Jet?" she asked, a little more cautiously this time.

Still, he didn't move. This was strange, even for him. So she now reached down to pull his chin up, but at her touch, he jolted straight up, causing her to jump back. Once she had recovered from this shock, she asked, "Jet? What happened? Are you okay?"

His eyes were barely opened, and he rubbed them now, speaking in a rather groggy voice. "Oh, yeah. I just came out here to get some fresh air, but I must've fallen asleep. Sorry, I was going to try to be home before you woke up."

These words made Rain sigh with relief. He was only sleeping, nothing more. She had been planning on scolding him for coming here without leaving any sort of note, but she found that she was simply incapable of staying mad at him when he just woke up. So instead, she sat down on the ground next to him, as all other swings were broken.

Jet smiled down at her before getting up like a chivalrous gentleman. He helped Rain to her feet before holding out the swing to her. Then he realized something. She'd spent her whole life in a training facility. Had she even grown up with something as simple as a swing? "Rain?" he asked cautiously, not knowing exactly what the proper way was to phrase the question. "Um . . . , so have you ever actually been on a swing before?"

She shook her head. "No. There weren't exactly many playgrounds where I grew up."

Jet nodded his head in understanding. "Would you like to?"

He watched as her eyes lit up at his words. "Sure."

Now he walked around behind her, grabbing the sides of the swing. "Are you ready?"

Her grip tightened as she answered. "Yeah."

Slowly, he pulled her backwards until she was already high off the ground. Then he pushed, sending the swing flying into the air. Rain held on for dear life, fearing falling off, yet still thoroughly enjoying herself. This was magnificent. She loved the feeling of flying, the wind blowing back her hair.

Jet couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. She looked like a five year old as she discovered the swings for the first time, her face filled with wonder and delight. As he smiled, Jet realized once again that the only way he would ever be happy was if they could spend every moment of their lives together. It delighted him to know that this was very possible for him. Yet, he hated the fact that he would never be able to give her that in return.

**Please review! Here's a clue for my 'devious idea': I've been sort of hinting at it before, and somewhere in this chapter there is also a hint at what will come.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Sorry about the delay, everyone! I meant to write another chapter **_**before **_**going on vacation, but time sort of got away from me. Anyway, I see that we're extremely close to 200 reviews now. That's absolutely AMAZING! Thank you all so much for continuing to read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, etc.**

Storm Song walked down the deserted streets of Upper Leadworth, just as he had on many such occasions before. Today, the summer sun reflected brilliantly off of his wavy golden locks, which flopped around his head in much the same way as his father's.

He rather enjoyed his appearance, though. Some people would smirk as they saw him, what whit his floppy hair, bowtie, and suspenders. However, he thought he looked very cool, especially for a sixteen-year-old Time Lord. In fact, he was quite glad that he hadn't had to regenerate yet. Not just because it meant dying, but because he would undoubtedly lose at least a little of the natural charm that he had inherited from his parents.

These thoughts all swam through his mind as he navigated the winding pathway up to the front door. As he did so, he glanced back over his shoulder to make sure his parents were following him. He made this a habit after the last time they had accidentally left him on Earth.

Luckily, they weren't very far behind this time. River was just having a rather difficult time trying to adjust the Doctor's bowtie, as he kept stubbornly swatting her hand away, insisting he could do it himself, which always made it worse. Storm couldn't help but chuckle at this all-too-familiar sight: River and the Doctor in another one of their petty arguments. After all, the sight was fairly comical.

Once at the door, Storm paused to allow his parents to catch up with him. As he did, he glanced around the porch that he had seen many times before, noticing that it still hadn't changed. There was still an old "Welcome" mat lying on the doorstep, still the rusting iron bench, and still the tiny mailbox that read, "Carson".

Finally, River and the Doctor approached the door as well, having given up on the whole bowtie issue. He gave it one last tug before reaching out to knock on the door to the Carson residence. Within seconds, Rain opened the door, smiling brightly to the family that she so desperately missed. From behind her, Storm could make out the sound of footsteps making their way to the door.

However, before he had the opportunity to see who the footsteps belonged to, Storm once again jolted awake, sending him into a fit of screams and tears. From their room just down the hall, the Doctor and River were now awake, as well. The Doctor mumbled something under his breath about how the TARDIS was purposely amplifying the crying so they would hear it.

River just lifted her pillow over her head, turning over as she said, "It's your turn."

Slowly, he sat up to speak with incredulity in his voice. "My turn? It's been my turn for the last two weeks!"

Now she turned over to face him. "Sweetie, we've been over this. Either you can accept that it's your turn, or I can take out the hallucinogenic lipstick. Your choice."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. She used this same trick every time, and he always told himself that it wouldn't work the next time. However, they both knew full well that it would.

So now the Doctor grudgingly slid out of bed, throwing on his jacket as he did so. Once he was safely out of the room, River smirked to herself. It was really too bad that she had left her lipstick at Stormcage. Oh, well. What the Doctor didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

At that moment, the Doctor was trudging down the hallway, eyes practically closed as he mechanically took the steps toward Storm's room. Once there, he didn't bother to turn on the light. In fact, he didn't even bother to check what stood two feet in front of him, as he found himself on the ground only moments later, courtesy of a stray toy that had been tossed on the ground.

For a moment, the Doctor just stayed sprawled on the ground, but the incessant screaming coming from Storm eventually prodded him to get up. So using the crib for support, he was able to make it onto his feet again.

"Shh," he whispered as he picked up his son. "It's alright. Nothing to be afraid of. It was only a dream." It hadn't taken long to figure out what the problem was, as the Doctor _did _speak baby. However, he could only tell that the trouble had been a dream, not what the dream was about. So using what little he knew, the Doctor again tried to comfort Storm.

"Don't worry. Dreams aren't real. They can be anything you want them to be. You control them." This seemed to calm Storm down slightly, so he continued speaking. "That's kind of how life is too, really. You can choose to be whoever you want, whether or not you travel with us is your decision. It's all up to you. And you're a Time Lord! You have much more time than most people, so make the best of it. Later you will have to choose your paths, but for now, just know that your dreams are in your control." He stopped talking now, realizing that he was rambling once again. However, Storm was now fast asleep, so he must have done something right.

Carefully, he set the boy down in his crib and made his way back to his bedroom, making sure he had decent footing this time. Right now, River was facing away from him on the bed, probably enjoying another night of not having to get up. The Doctor smirked as he thought of how to exact his revenge.

He took a couple steps back now, in order to give him a running start, and then took off at a run, jumping as high as he could into the air once he was only a couple feet from the bed. The force of his landing was enough to catapult River Song a good two feet above the bed before falling once more.

The Doctor couldn't stop laughing at the piercing glare that River was shooting him with. Normally, a glare like this would send him running to the nearest jewelry shop, but he knew that she wouldn't do anything this late at night, especially not if it ran the risk of waking Storm (which gunshots would most likely do, River added mentally).

However, it is hard to stay mad at someone who won't stop laughing, and so eventually River found herself joining in as she continued to formulate a plan. Once the laughter had died down, River asked, "Sweetie, would you mind getting me a glass of water?"

"No problem!" he answered, still in a good mood from his latest bright idea.

River listened to the point where she could no longer hear his footsteps before closing and locking the door and settling back into bed. A few minutes later, the Doctor returned, only to find that the doorknob wouldn't budge. "River?" he called. "River, did you lock the door?"

Smirking, River answered, "Yes, Sweetie, but don't worry. I'll let you back in after a few more hours."

He stood there with his jaw dropped, preparing to make some sort of remark, but in the end, he decided that any of his attempts to reason with River would be in vain, so instead he decided to spend the night on the rocking chair next to Storm's crib. "Well, Stormy," he whispered, being careful not to wake him up, "I have a feeling we'll be spending lots of time together."

**Review? Because, you know, we're almost to 200! **


	35. Chapter 35

**Thanks to 'Phoebe Cloud' for helping me out with this chapter. Also, we're so close to 200 I can taste it! Your reviews are amazing, and I never thought this story would go on so long.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

"So what do you want to do today?" Jet asked Rain as they finished eating breakfast. The previous day had mostly been spent relaxing and just taking in the serenity of their surroundings. So today Jet figured that he should probably show her all this town had to offer. However, after seeing the blank look on her face at this question, he began to pose his own suggestions. "We could go sightseeing or . . . take a tour of the town."

Rain smiled up at him politely. "Aren't those the same thing?"

"Yeah, okay. Leadworth isn't the most exciting place," he sighed, "but there are actually some very interesting points if you look close enough."

Honestly, Rain didn't care where they went as long as she was with him. After all, waking up the day before to find him missing was more than enough adventure for the next couple of days. "That sounds great."

So now they set off slowly, hand in hand. There was no need to rush. It was still fairly early, so the only cars on the roads were those heading off to work. The rest of the town still slept quietly. Not only that, but no matter how long they took, the sights would still be there once they finally did arrive.

Their first stop was a small school that looked as if it had been standing there for several generations. Jet quickly explained it as where he spent all his time from first through twelfth grade. However, Rain noticed a shadow pass over his face as he said these words that seemed rather hollow.

"Is there something more, something you're not telling me?" Rain asked as Jet hurriedly tried to move along to their next destination.

"No."

Rain gave him her best "yeah, right" look. "Jet, come on. We're married now. You can't lie to me."

After weighing the possibility that Rain might back down (and finding that impossible), Jet gave a long, deep sigh before speaking. "I don't like to talk about this place. Apart from what happened to my family, all my worst memories happened here." He paused, hoping that this small amount of information would be enough. However, seeing that Rain was clinging to every word he said, he grudgingly continued. "You know how when we first met, I told you I didn't have anyone left?" Rain nodded. "Well didn't you wonder where all my friends were?"

This question surprised her. In fact, she had never really thought about that. At the time, all she'd been concerned about was the fact that he had no family. His friends had never really come into the conversation. "Well what happened to them?"

At this, Jet gave a dark, sarcastic chuckle. "There weren't any. That's the problem. There were so many people willing to pretend, though. As long as they could get something from you, you'd have a 'friend'." Here, he paused again, realizing just how much he was saying and not wanting to ruin the day by explaining all this to Rain. "Long story short, I stopped catering to their needs, and they just left. But not without making my life miserable first."

Rain didn't say anything for a while, hoping that maybe he would continue. However, as he didn't seem willing to speak on the subject anymore, she realized the conversation was over. She knew he didn't really like talking about his past, and actually felt slightly guilty for pushing this information out of him. So now she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. "I'm sorry."

He didn't answer, only pulled her closer so that she knew that everything was okay now. Then when they broke apart, Jet was eager to pretend as if nothing had happened, and Rain happily played along.

"Next stop, downtown!" It was a rather long walk here from the school, but Rain wasn't complaining. After all, it was a very nice day outside, and all the birds seemed to have chosen today to serenade the passersby with their tunes.

By the time they reached this destination, traffic was beginning to pick up as it neared twelve o'clock. So now the two were confined to the sidewalks instead of the bumpy brick roads that they had been walking on.

Leadworth wasn't a very large town, so naturally the downtown wasn't either. Yet, Rain was still awestruck by all the things Jet was pointing out to her. Many of the shops and businesses would have appeared absolutely ordinary with anyone else, but with Jet, the buildings practically jumped up and came alive. He knew everything about this town, from who owned each building to all the interesting things that had happened since their construction. One had been consumed by a total of three fires but was never fully destroyed. Another had just happened to catch a master thief who had been causing mischief a few years back. Jet knew every detail.

Now there was a pause in his personal tour, as he saw Rain staring at a place across the street. There was a small park there, smaller than most she had seen before, but to her it was indescribably beautiful. A small bench sat in the shade of several tall trees, each alive with the sound of the birds chirping peacefully from their branches. Jet could tell this was where Rain really wanted to go. "Why don't we go sit down?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing," Rain answered, glad that he had brought this up.

In order to get to the park, it was necessary for the two to cross over the road that stood between them and their destination. There was only one car anywhere near the crosswalk, but Jet shrugged this off, as there were stop signs protecting them from both sides. However, as they continued across, he noticed that the car showed no signs of slowing. But as always, he noticed this too late. The car was headed straight for Rain.

By the time he was able to react, he knew impact was only feet away, so pushing Rain out of the way, Jet dove to save her. From Rain's point of view, all she heard was the screeching of tires before she was pushed to the ground feet away. Scrambling to her feet, she whirled around. The car was long gone by now, and Jet lay motionless on the bricks.

**Oh, how I've missed cliffhangers. Review? Because we're so close to 200! ('Phoebe Cloud', if you're reading this, I'm not sure how plausible 'spontaneous combustion' would be.)**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hello! Did you love my cliffhanger? Yeah, I thought so! Anyway, I might be updating slightly less for next few months. Sorry, but if you want, you can send a strongly-worded letter to my school. Also, thank you to 'Canned it 2011-2012' for being the 200****th**** reviewer! Anything you'd like to see happen? Leave it in a review, and I'll do my best!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but I **_**do **_**own Storm, Rain, and Jet. *evil laugh***

Rain's mind seemed to stall in this moment. It was almost as if her body was on autopilot, since her brain refused to believe what had just happened. The next thing she knew, she was on her knees next to him, crying for help to anyone who would listen, insisting that someone call an ambulance immediately.

By the time her mind had caught up with the situation, she realized that she hadn't even checked to see if Jet was alive yet. Part of her refused to even accept the possibility. "Jet?" she asked, shaking his shoulders slightly. "Jet, please wake up." Her words were becoming more desperate now, as she held on to any hope she had left.

Leaning down, she placed an ear to his chest, listening for a heartbeat. The noise was so faint when compared to the chaos of people around them, but nevertheless, his heart was beating. Rain slowly let out the breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding before moving her ear from Jet's heart to his mouth. Short, choppy breaths came periodically, but it was better than nothing.

"Jet?" she called again, shaking him slightly just as she had before. This time, though, the result was different. Suddenly, Jet lurched forward, overcome by a fit of coughing, but conscious nonetheless.

Rain's spirits rose even higher once he awoke, but the feeling didn't last long, for Jet wasn't just coughing; he was coughing up _blood._ Even Rain knew that that could never be a good sign.

After a couple minutes, the coughing stopped, and Jet lay back on the bricks of the street. His eyes were still open, but he looked weak, his face pale. For a moment, he looked calm, so Rain considered asking him how he felt. But now his face contorted in pain, and he clutched his torso in a way that could only mean that something inside must have been badly injured.

At this time, the ambulance showed up. Rain was shooed away from Jet so that he could be placed on a stretcher and hauled into the back. Her mind was racing, and she tried to block out the outside world as she began to come up with some way to reach the only person who could save him for sure: the Doctor.

The Ponds! Surely, they must have found some way of contacting the Doctor after all this time. Rain didn't give the EMTs a second look, only began sprinting towards the Pond residence. As the town wasn't exactly large, she was there in minutes. As soon as she reached the door, she began pounding on it as if her own life depended on it.

Soon, Amy opened the door, her expression somewhere between confused and worried once she saw who it was. "Rain? What is it? Are you okay?"

"It's Jet," she panted. "He . . . he was hit by a car. They took him to the hospital."

Amy's eyes got wide now. "Well what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

She made to rush out the door, but Rain held out her hand, stopping her. "No. We can't. I saw him, and I know that he's going to die. We need to contact the Doctor; he's the only one that can save Jet." Rain was surprised at how calmly these words came out of her mouth.

For a moment, Amy just stood there, analyzing the situation in her head. She must have decided to believe Rain, though, as she called into the house: "Rory! Call the Doctor!"

Once the number was dialed, Amy snatched the phone from her husband, not wanting to waste any unnecessary time. "Doctor, listen. We need you. Now." At this she hung up, knowing that the Doctor could easily tell what time they were calling from.

Sure enough, the TARDIS materialized right outside the house seconds later, landing on the flowers as usual. The Doctor must have sensed the urgency of their situation, as he rushed out of the box and into the house before River even had time to ask why. Soon enough, though, she was in the house as well.

It took only a few seconds to explain the situation. After that, Rain, River, and the Doctor hurried into the TARDIS in order to make it to the hospital quicker. Amy and Rory, however, stayed back. They knew what it was like to travel in the TARDIS and go on life-threatening adventures. But they also knew that after traveling onboard once, you never want to leave. That was a goodbye that they couldn't stand to make again.

Once they landed outside the hospital, it wasn't hard to find out where Jet was. As soon as they walked inside, they found several doctors swarming around his room. Eventually, one nurse stopped after seeing the new visitors. "Are you the family of Jet Carson?" she asked solemnly.

It was Rain who answered. "Yes."

The nurse seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry, but I don't think there's anything we can do."

Rain didn't lose hope yet. After all, this was exactly what she had expected. Now the only one who could help him was the Doctor, who spoke up now. "Ah, yes, I see," he said, with genuine sorrow on his face. "Would you mind if we had a little time alone with him?"

"Oh, no, of course not," stammered the nurse. "Take your time."

The three now entered the room where Jet lay motionless on a cot, eyes closed, but still breathing. His face was paler than it had ever been, with an air of death filling the room. None spoke, for fear of waking him from what might be his last peaceful sleep. Taking out his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor scanned him as quietly as he could. After checking the readings, he shook his head, scanning him again. This time, though, he just ran a hand across his face, turning around to face Rain.

The look on his face said it all. Rain was certain that both of her hearts must have skipped a beat in this instant. She had spent so much time dreading this moment, but she hadn't been prepared for it to happen so quickly. He wasn't supposed to die now! They should still have a few decades together. And now he would die soon, and she wouldn't even be able to properly tell him goodbye, since he was unconscious.

Still, she walked over to him slowly, feeling like a mourner looking into the coffin of someone who was already gone. As if mechanically, she bent down to whisper into his ear, "Goodbye," before placing one last, gentle kiss to his lips. She couldn't help but think that the roles should be reversed. Shouldn't it be the prince kissing his princess in hopes of waking _her? _Subconsciously, she could hear a steady beeping suddenly become one sustained beep, but this wasn't registering fully right now.

Behind her, River turned to whisper to the Doctor. Now may have not seemed like the best time, but she needed to know. "Doctor, why did you scan him twice?"

He didn't seem as fazed by this question as she had expected. "Because the first time, he didn't register as human."

River now stared at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. The Doctor must have realized what she was thinking too, as his face now took on the same expression as hers. "Rain," he called, "Step away from Jet."

However, his voice still wouldn't register in her thoughts, as the only thing she could focus on was Jet. River must have realized this, because she now grabbed Rain's arm, pulling her away. It took immense effort and a little bit of screaming, but she was eventually able to pull the girl away.

Rain watched in horror through tear-filled eyes as the Doctor pointed his screwdriver at Jet. With the press of a button, Jet melted into a pile of liquid flesh on the cot.

**Remember when I said I had a devious plan? Yeah, I wasn't kidding :) But it gets even better next chapter. Please review. Reviews are awesome, as usual.**


	37. Chapter 37

**The reviews for the last chapter were absolutely AMAZING! You people are awesome, and I can't thank you enough for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting this story. Also, I've created a forum (because it sounded kind of cool) if you want to check it out. It's called 'Madman with a Box'.**

**Disclaimer: Storm, Rain, and Jet are all mine! But sadly, Doctor Who isn't.**

River kept her tight grip on Rain, who was no longer trying to escape but needed someone to keep her from collapsing. Rain wasn't exactly sure how sane she'd be after this whole experience. After going through the trauma of watching her husband die, she now found out that it had all been a hoax. She didn't know if she could handle it.

Finally, though, it was River's voice that broke her from her reverie. "Well, what are we waiting for? Come on, Doctor, we know where he'll be. Let's go find him."

Rain waited expectantly for the Doctor's agreement, but it never came. Instead, he just lowered his head slightly. "I'm sorry. It's too dangerous. With Kovarian dead we don't know who we'll be dealing with. Most likely, this is all a trap. I'm sorry, but I won't risk your life. Not again."

At this, Rain turned to him with enough force to break free of River's grip. "What do you mean? He's part of our family now. We can't just let him _die!_"

"I'm sorry, but we just don't know who-."

"I don't care who we're dealing with!" she cut him off. "This is Jet! You have to do _something._"

At this point, the Doctor's resolve wavered, so he looked over at River for support. However, she just gave him a pleading look, as she chose to side with Rain.

The Doctor sighed in defeat. "Fine. But you two need to stay in the TARDIS with Storm. You'll be safe that way."

Although neither of them really cared about being "safe", they both nodded in agreement. If this was what they had to agree to in order to get Jet back, they would do just as the Doctor said.

The three of them quickly made their way through the hospital and out the doors, hurrying towards the TARDIS. All of a sudden, though, River stopped dead in her tracks, staring blankly at a point further down the road. "River?" asked the Doctor. "What is it? What's wrong?"

She seemed to be too stunned to say anything, her face showing her immense confusion. So now she slowly lifted her arm to point at what she was so focused on. As the other two turned their heads to look as well, their jaws dropped.

There, walking down the street without a care in the world was Jet.

While the other two were still frozen with disbelief, Rain took off sprinting towards him faster than she had ever run in her life. The rest of the world was a blur in her eyes, with Jet being the only one who was clear. In a matter of moments, she rushed into his arms, flung her arms around his neck, and held on for her life.

She couldn't help but sob into his shoulder. After all, she had just thought he was dead only minutes before, now here he was as if nothing had happened. However, all of these thoughts were interrupted when Jet grabbed hold of her shoulders and pushed her back, holding her at arms' length.

Obviously, Rain was thoroughly confused. However, it was nowhere near the confusion that covered Jet's features. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

His words were like daggers stabbing into her heart. The sincerity with which he said them was just more than she could handle. Stuttering, she tried to formulate a response. "J-Jet, it's me. R-Rain."

This didn't seem to help any, though. His confusion was still evident, though it was now joined by fear. "How do you know my name?"

Her eyes widened in alert, and she now found herself able to articulate everything she needed to say. "Because I know you! I know that your parents are dead and that you're all alone right now. I met you a while ago and we went on such amazing adventures! I trusted you, and you trusted me, and we got married! _Please tell me you know this!_"

His face was frozen in alarm, but he still managed to shake it back and forth. "I'm sorry." He didn't quite know how she knew about his family, but he was fairly certain that the rest had never happened. From his point of view, he'd never met this girl before in his life.

At this point, the Doctor and River were able to join them. "Jet!" exclaimed the Doctor. "I can't tell you how relieved we are to see you. For a minute we thought we would have to save you from the Silence."

Jet simply cocked his head at these new visitors. "And who are you?"

The Doctor didn't quite process his response. "What?"

At this, Rain grabbed both River's and the Doctor's wrist and pulled them off to the side, out of Jet's earshot. "He doesn't know who we are or what we've been through. He doesn't know _anything _about us!"

Now the Doctor realized the seriousness of the problem. He'd known that someone knew would be controlling the Silence from now on, but he hadn't been prepared for tactics that didn't involve search and rescue. This was definitely new.

The Doctor scratched his head, looking over at Jet, who was obviously straining to hear what they were saying. "Um, I'm not quite sure what's wrong with him, but if we get him on the TARDIS I can run a full-body scan."

Rain nodded before walking over to Jet and taking his hand. At first, he began to protest, but then she turned to him, looking him directly in the eye. "Please. Just trust me. I know you don't know who or what I am, but just this once you have to trust me."

Reluctantly, he decided to follow her. Rain led him into the TARDIS, ignoring his raving about how it was "bigger on the inside". Immediately the Doctor began scanning him to find out what was wrong. However, once he saw the results, his eyes became wide.

River was by his side in an instant. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

The Doctor ran a shaky hand through his hair before answering, addressing Rain. "Well, the good news is that this is the real Jet. The . . . well, _other _news is a little more complicated. Somehow, he now has two hearts." Here, he paused, allowing his words to sink in. "Rain, Jet's a Time Lord."

**Hey you! Yeah, you. You should review because, you know, that would be awesome.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Sorry about the wait. I'm not sure how regular updates will be for the next several months, but I'm aiming for at least once a week. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the figments of my imagination.**

The rest of the day was spent running continuous scans on Jet, who reluctantly agreed not to leave. After all, it wasn't like he had anywhere to go.

Rain just sat and watched all the commotion while she tried to process her feelings about this newest discovery. On the one hand, she was absolutely ecstatic that Jet was a Time Lord. Now she didn't have to worry about how fragile his life was compared to hers. However, the thing that was weighing on her emotions was the fact that he had no idea who she was. This was almost definitely a trick put in place by the Silence, and there was no telling what else they had done. There was no time for her to celebrate Jet's species transformation when the negative effects were still unknown.

The Doctor must have sensed her uncertainty, as he now sat down in the chair next to her. He didn't say anything, so she spoke up. "Have you found anything yet?" He gave a small nod, but didn't say anything else. From the look on his face, she could tell that he was deciding how to tell her what he had found. That couldn't be a good sign. "Well what is it?" she asked, impatience seeping through her words.

He rubbed a hand over his face as he always did when he had bad news to tell. "Well," he began, "this is the real Jet, not a flesh duplicate. And he's definitely a Time Lord." He stopped here, but Rain could tell that this wasn't all he had to say. After receiving a pleading look from her, the Doctor continued. "Rain, do you know how Time Lords came about in the first place?"

This question threw her off. "Um, prolonged exposure to the time vortex, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, but that takes several generations. It doesn't just happen overnight. Unless . . ."

"Unless?" she prodded.

"Unless," he sighed, "unless you could somehow create so much exposure that even your cells change on contact. But that's impossible. It would be the equivalent of injecting someone with the time vortex. It shouldn't be possible."

Now he looked over at Rain, whose face appeared blank. "Think about it this way," he said. "You know how in comic books some people get special powers from radioactive waste?" Rain nodded. "It's like that. Except in real life the radioactivity would kill you. So what I want to know is how this could have possibly turned Jet into a Time Lord."

The Doctor paused for a moment, waiting for Rain to answer. There were so many thoughts rushing through her head right now, though, that there was really only one thing she could think about. "So why can't he remember anything?"

The Doctor sighed. It was obvious that this was the part he'd been trying to put off for as long as possible. "An operation like this has never been successful before. There were bound to be repercussions. Rain, I'm sorry, but the last few months of Jet's memory have been completely wiped. From his point of view, tonight would be the night you met. He was on his way to the park when we stopped him. He's never seen you before in his life."

Rain had been afraid that he would say something along these lines, yet his words still pierced right through her. After all she'd been through with Jet, how could he just forget her? Now all the memories she'd shared with him bombarded her brain faster than she could try and force them down. She remembered the first time they'd met on the playground, and then asking him to travel with them. She remembered their first kiss and all the fights he'd had with the Doctor. She remembered the proposal and the wedding and the honeymoon . . . .

And now it was all gone like a paper crumpled and tossed into the trash.

River had long since left the room to check on Storm, and now the Doctor got up, mumbling something about giving her a hand. In reality, he thought he'd give the two some time to talk.

As soon as he left, Rain glanced over at her husband, who was sitting on one of the sick beds while a monitor next to him continuously spewed information about him. He didn't look confused or worried as he had earlier, but rather, frustrated. Every once in a while he would squeeze his eyes shut tight and run a hand through his hair.

She couldn't take it any longer. Cautiously, Rain went to go sit next to Jet. He didn't say anything when she approached, but scooted over to allow some space between them. She made a conscious effort not to think about how he would normally put his arm around her and pull her closer. "Hey," was all she managed to get out.

"Hey," he answered. There was a long pause after this, in which Rain racked her brain for anything she could possibly say to him that wouldn't be too painful. Finally, it was Jet who spoke up. "So . . . what's wrong with me? That Doctor person told me I'm . . . I'm not human. Is that true?"

Rain nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so. But it's actually better than it sounds. You're a Time Lord like us, which means you can live for more than a thousand years."

"But how did this happen? Last time I checked, I was completely human."

She didn't really feel like going in to the whole story. After all, she hardly understood it herself. "I'm not sure." She hesitated before saying the next part, unsure of whether he should know or not. Eventually, though, she decided that he should know, as it was his own life in question. "But what I do know is that it erased a few months of your memory."

This seemed to grab his attention. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "It's just a side-effect of the species change."

There was another long pause before Jet asked what was on his mind. "Is that why you all seem to know me?"

His question seemed to strike the wrong note in her heart. Suddenly, she found herself unable to keep back the tears that had been held back to begin with. Now they fell freely, as Rain had lost the will to keep them from falling. As if this reaction wasn't a good enough answer to Jet's question, she nodded slowly.

Jet's cheeks became bright red as he turned away, embarrassed that he didn't know who she was. He tried to think of something, anything to make her feel better, as he realized that he couldn't stand to see her cry. "You know, it does feel like there's more in my head then I can see. It's like when you wake up from a dream but can't remember what it was about, like there's a film preventing me from seeing clearly." Although he had originally just been looking for something to cheer her up, these words were spoken in complete honesty.

Rain's eyes widened immediately. His words sparked a light of hope in her. If this was the case, there must be some way to tear away at this "film" little by little until it eventually all falls away. Maybe if she could get him to remember, she wouldn't have to start from scratch. Immediately, she tried to remember something she had heard once when they had visited the Ponds'. It was a phrase from an old conversation between the Doctor and Amy. She had heard them discussing it once. What was it? Oh yes: "If something can be remembered, it can come back."

**Your reviews have been absolutely amazing lately! Please review and let me know what you think. **


	39. Chapter 39

**I'm back! I hope all my fellow Americans are enjoying the long weekend. And of course, I hope everyone enjoyed the start of the new series of Doctor Who! Don't worry if you haven't seen it, though. I won't be giving any spoilers.**

It didn't take much to convince Jet to come with them. After all, on the night he met Rain he had been more than ready to leave behind the world he once called reality. After the day he'd had, it took him no time at all to fall asleep. Meanwhile, all Rain could do was think of ways to make him remember. The thing he had said about his thoughts told her that the memories were still there, just hidden. There had to be some way to revive them.

By the time it was morning, there were all sorts of things she was ready to try. However, there was a large chance that Jet wouldn't awake any time soon, so she decided to ask the Doctor's opinion.

"It's not that simple," he stated, pacing back and forth as he always did when rambling about these sorts of things. "These memories aren't just stuck in his head as if he forgot; they were erased. I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll be able to make him remember. I'm sorry, but it's just not possible."

Rain could feel the tears brimming in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. This couldn't be true. There had to be a way; there was _always _a way! The Doctor could see how much these words upset her, so he reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder. Rain just shook her head, resolve set on her goal. "If there's one thing I've learned from you," she said coldly, "it's that nothing is ever impossible." At this, she turned and stalked out of the room, leaving the Doctor by himself.

He hated to see her so upset, but he feared that she would get her hopes up for nothing. Hanging his head slightly, he muttered to himself, "There's a first time for everything."

"Sorry, what was that?" River asked as she entered the room.

The Doctor brightened considerably at the sound of her voice. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"Is Rain alright?"

He sighed, not meeting her eyes completely. "She's doing as well as expected."

Despite the extreme vagueness of this answer, River didn't press the subject. She knew that rain was more than capable of handling this situation on her own.

Rain opened the door to Jet's room just enough to peek in, afraid that she would wake him. However, as she peered through the crack she found that he was already up and sitting on the side of his bed. Curious, she watched to see what exactly he was doing. Right now, he just appeared to be thinking. She didn't blame him. If she was in his position, she'd have a lot to think about too.

All of a sudden he let out a deep sigh, looking over at the door with a smirk. "I know you're out there," he said. "You can come in if you'd like."

Cautiously, she opened the door and walked in, sitting in the chair across from where he sat. "How are you?" She realized that this must seem like such a dumb question after all that he'd been through, but it was all she could think of.

"I'm okay, I guess," he answered. "This is all a bit confusing, but I'll catch on soon enough."

Rain nodded, taking a deep breath and preparing to try out her new approach at recall. "So have you been able to remember anything . . . new?"

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know who you all are."

Once again, she nodded. This answer was just what she had expected. "Hold out your left hand."

He shot her a confused look, not expecting this request. "What? Why?"

"Please, just do it."

Slowly, Jet held out his left and to her, noticing for the first time that there was a silver ring around one finger. His brow wrinkled in confusion. "How did that get there? I don't remember putting it on. I know for a fact that it wasn't there yesterday."

"Jet," she started, ignoring his questions, "you married me." At this, she held out her hand as well, showing him the ring he had given her. "Please tell me you remember that."

Her eyes were pleading, desperate. As Jet looked into them he wanted so badly to say that he remembered, but he simply couldn't. "Believe me, I want to. But I just . . . I can't."

Rain swallowed hard, taking a deep breath in order to keep calm. _Don't worry, _she told herself. _This is just the beginning. _After staying up all night to come up with ways to make him remember everything that had happened, this was just the first of many ideas. However, she had started with this one since she been convinced that it would work.

Clearing this failed attempt from her mind, she moved on. Her mind raced to recall some of her ideas from the night of brainstorming. Spotting a mirror hanging on the wall, she pulled Jet up so that he could stand in front of it. "Look," she said, pointing to the silvery scars that ran down his cheek and neck. "How do you explain those?"

Rain could see his worried expression in the mirror. "I . . . I don't know. Was I attacked?"

"No," she answered much more calmly than she wanted to. "The people who erased your memories captured you once before. This is what they gave you."

Reaching up a shaky hand, he ran his fingers over the scars. He hadn't realized until now exactly how hard he was breathing. It seemed as though he was on the verge of hyperventilating. There was a throbbing pain in his head, so he closed his eyes and reached up a hand to one of his temples.

Rain took this as a sign that he was slowly remembering pieces of his past. In her excitement, she decided that now would be a good time to explain everything they had been through, just in case anything caught his memory. "Soon after you got those scars we got married. My parents were afraid that something bad would happen if we waited any longer. After that, you insisted on having our honeymoon in Leadworth to show me where you grew up. You showed me the sights and then . . ."

Jet looked up now, noticing that she had stopped. Even though none of this was familiar to him, he was anxious to know what happened next in the story of his forgotten life. "And then what?"

She continued in a voice barely above a whisper. "And then you were hit by a car. We took you to the hospital, but you died. . . . Well, it wasn't really you; it was a flesh copy, but you share the same memories. Please tell me that you remember something, anything."

Jet's eyes were wide with fear. Rain could even see tears brimming in them as he struggled to remember a life that had been erased. But he respected her too much to lie. Ever so slightly, he shook his head. A single word was able to escape his lips: "No."

**Please review! It's amazing that we're almost to another hundred reviews after just a couple chapters. You guys are all awesome. Stop whatever you're doing right now to give yourself a hug.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hello to all my amazing followers, whether old or new! I can't believe this is chapter 40 already. Honestly, I didn't plan on getting this far. But I'm glad we did!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my original characters. Doctor Who belongs to the wonderful Steven Moffat and all the other geniuses over at the BBC.**

"Any luck?" River asked as Rain exited Jet's room.

She couldn't speak, though. Right now, she felt as if a single word would cause her to break down. She was so close to this already. So instead, all she could do was give a slight shake of her head before taking off at a run down the deserted halls of the TARDIS, tears streaming from her eyes as she did so.

Her mind was still frozen to the moment Jet had spoken the word, "No." That one word kept turning itself over and over in her mind, making it impossible to think of anything else. It was by an act of subconscious that she found her way to her room and threw herself onto the bed after slamming the door behind her.

Somewhere, a little voice in her head was telling her that she should keep calm and deal with this logically. But that little voice was drowned out by the louder ones that were screaming that all her efforts had been worthless. After an entire night of brainstorming, all it took was a few minutes for everything to fall through.

She was vaguely aware of footsteps and worried voices coming from outside her door, but she had neither the strength nor willpower to register what they were saying. Their words didn't matter. Not unless they could fix this.

***Meanwhile***

River watched with sympathy as her daughter ran off down the corridor to her room. She hated seeing Rain like this, but there was absolutely nothing she could do. Not even the Doctor knew how to solve this. Sighing, she turned around to meet him in the console room.

The Doctor wasn't swirling around the console or pressing buttons as usual, though. He was simply sitting in the captain's chair with his arms and legs crossed. River recognized the expression on his face immediately. "Doctor, you can't possibly be blaming yourself for something like this."

His eyes—which had previously been staring intently at nothing in particular—snapped up at her. Instinctively, he was about to get into another long argument about why this was entirely his fault, as usual. However, arguing was the last thing he felt like doing right now. "I know," he said resignedly, rubbing his hands over his face. "I just wish there was some way I could help."

River couldn't help but look over in the direction Rain had gone, as if to make sure she wasn't standing there. Just in case, she lowered her voice as she spoke. "This time, my love, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do."

If there was one thing the Doctor hated hearing, it was that he had been too late or unable to save someone. River's words—though they were meant to comfort him—seemed to only increase his determination. "Where is she?"

River hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not she should answer. "She's in her room, but I don't think you should—."

He was running down the corridors before she had a chance to finish. Skidding to a halt outside her door, he began shouting instructions at her, not daring to go in. "Rain! Rain, listen to me! Look, I know you're upset, but you have to stay calm and do as I say. You were right. All you need to do is get him to remember. Those memories aren't lost as long as you can reach them. There must be something big and important and emotional that you can tell him. You can bring back his memory, but you have to make him remember!"

Somehow, this last sentence the Doctor shouted through the door seemed to catch Rain's attention. ". . . You have to make him remember." Her subconscious worked to bring her pieces of all that the Doctor had just said. _Something big and important and emotional._ Now these words took their turn in swarming her mind like a swarm of wasps.

The last thing Rain wanted to do was raise her hopes _again_, only to have them shot down . . . _again. _But something in the Doctor's voice compelled her. Before she had fully made her decision, she began to slowly descend from the bed, walking to the door that now seemed miles away. Cautiously, she opened it to see the Doctor standing there in front of her, worry written on his face.

For a second, they just stood there reading the other's expression. Finally, though, the Doctor stepped aside and, nodding, whispered, "Good luck."

Rain moved like a zombie to Jet's room, each stem seeming as though it was in slow motion. As she advanced toward her destination, she began to consider what the Doctor had said: _Something big and important and emotional._ It had seemed like such a brilliant idea at the time, but now she wasn't sure if she even knew the right words to say. After all, she had already told him that they were married and that he had died.

Thinking about this seemed to speed up the trip to his room, as she had now arrived. After taking a deep breath to keep calm, Rain opened the door to see Jet sitting in the same place he had been when she'd come to visit him earlier. Now, though, he appeared to have tearstains on his cheeks.

She sat down and prepared to speak, but he beat her to it. "Look, I know how upset you are, but I just can't remember. I'm sorry. I wish I could; I really do. If you're willing to take me with you, I promise we can start from scratch. I don't care how long it takes."

Jet's words shocked her so much that she almost decided to give up. He was willing to start from scratch. She considered this for a moment, but no longer, as a thought suddenly pushed itself to the front of her mind. Of course! Why had she not remembered this sooner? The Doctor had said to say something big and important and emotional. Now she found herself with the perfect confession. She wasn't quite sure if it would work or not, but she had to try. If it didn't, she told herself, then she would just give in and start from scratch like Jet had suggested.

He was still staring intently at her as he waited for a reply. "Jet," she started, closing her eyes just in case she wasn't able to face his reaction, "I'm pregnant."

**Attack of the cliffhangers! If you could stop punching your screen and send me a review, that would be amazing.**


	41. Chapter 41

**I'm writing a little early this time since I'm not exactly sure how much time I'll have this weekend. Anyway, thanks again for all the incredible reviews!**

**Disclaimer: After forty chapters I still don't own Doctor Who.**

The Doctor had given Rain the best chance she would have to resurrect Jet's memories. He wasn't sure if mere words would be enough to work, but it was all he had. In his mind, the chances still weren't very good. Now all he could think about was the look on Rain's face when she first discovered that Jet did not know who she was. This image would be forever ingrained in his mind, and it sure wasn't leaving now. If Rain's attempts to help Jet proved unsuccessful, then he didn't want to be around to face her when she realized all was lost.

Slowly, he trudged down the halls of the TARDIS, paying absolutely no attention to where he was going. Somehow, though, he ended up in front of a door he had become very familiar with over the past couple of months. It was just a plain wooden door, but opening it revealed the newest and littlest Time Lord, sleeping softly.

The Doctor couldn't help but smile at the sight of his son. Taking care to not make any noise, he slowly walked inside, closing the door behind him. His footsteps were silent as he crept up to the side of the cradle, peering in.

It was astounding to see just how much Storm had grown. Now little golden curls were starting to cover his head, reminding him of River. However, something about the Doctor's presence seemed to have been sensed by the boy, as his striking blue eyes now fluttered open. He didn't cry like he used to, only lay staring up at his father as if in a trance.

Storm's face was so comical that the Doctor couldn't help but pick him up. "Hello, Stormy! How was your sleep?" Storm always liked it when people spoke to him, and he gave a happy giggle in response.

"Well that's good," the Doctor said. "I'm glad that someone around here is happy. You're sister isn't doing so well. But I'm sure everything will turn out fine. It always does." Of course, he was lying. Rule one: the Doctor lies. But what was the point of telling a child only a couple months old? The Doctor didn't want to upset him. If the boy wanted to believe that everything always ended well, then who was he to ruin that?

**Meanwhile**

Rain lost count of the number of conflicting emotions that were now running through Jet's eyes. There were hints of shock and happiness, but also several that she had no name for. Still, the predominant one was confusion. His eyes were wide now, wider than she'd ever seen them. It was as if he was trying to take in as much of this scene as he possibly could.

After a couple minutes passed without either of them speaking, Rain began to worry. "Jet?" she asked. "Jet, are you okay?"

Now his eyes snapped shut, his breathing becoming shallow and jagged. He was visibly shaking, so she reached out a hand to steady him. As she did, though, the shaking only got worse, causing his breaths to get more and more desperate, as if he was a swimmer coming to the surface after nearly drowning.

Gradually, the shaking subsided, turning into steady rocking. It was a pitiful sight. Jet was practically hyperventilating as he rocked back and forth with his eyes shut and his hands in tight fists in his lap. All the while, Rain maintained a comforting grip on his arm.

Finally, though, she could feel his muscles begin to relax. His deep breaths turned to sobbing. Rain couldn't take it anymore. "Jet!" she called. "I need you to tell me you're okay. _Please!_"

At the sound of her voice, he was silent, became still. Ever so slowly, he opened his eyes. He saw her sitting there next to him and cocked his head. "Rain?" he asked.

She didn't get her hopes up, just in case. "Yes?"

"Rain. The only girl I fell in love with. The one who was kidnapped by the Silence. The one I died to save. The one who saved me time and time again. The one who married me. My . . . _wife._"

The words fell out of his mouth so quickly that she had to listen closely in order to keep up. There were a few moments of silence as she mentally digested everything he just said, taking in the emotion that had been absent for too long, but now flooded his words.

Tears came to her eyes as she realized what had just happened. This man that sat next to her was _her _Jet, and she wouldn't lose him ever again. In one fluid motion their arms simultaneously wrapped around the other, as if on cue.

They sat there for the longest time, each of them now with tears streaming from their eyes. When Jet had finally recovered enough to speak, he said, "I didn't think there was any way I could forget you. I'm so sorry I—."

"Oh, shut up," Rain cut in, sounding rather like Amy as she silenced him with a kiss. Jet gratefully accepted, taking in everything about this moment as they kissed. He'd forgotten how much he missed the feel of her hands running through his hair as he breathed in the scent of her.

Everything about this moment was perfect. Rain couldn't help but think that it all seemed a little cliché, but right now she didn't care at all. All she would allow herself to think about was the fact that Jet—_her _Jet—was back in her arms again.

River peered through the tiny crack of the barely open door, watching as the young couple embraced. Obviously, she was happy that Jet was back, allowing Rain to be happy again. But there was . . . something else, something she just couldn't put her finger on. Yes, looking at Jet's demeanor alone was enough to know that he had gotten his memories back, but this just seemed to . . . easy. The Silence never let people go that easily. They always had a backup plan.

**Please take a moment to leave a review. Also, there's something I need a little feedback on. A few people have asked about a sequel, so what I'm wondering is: would you rather have this story go on indefinitely or end and continue in a sequel?**


	42. Chapter 42

**So after tallying up the votes from last chapter, I have come to a decision. First, I would like to say to the person who voted twice, I only counted your vote once. Anyway, here are the results: sequel = 3, indefinite = 4. For now, this story will continue on indefinitely. I may ask again at chapter fifty, though.**

**Disclaimer: Moffat is very good at owning Doctor Who. Therefore, it is still not mine.**

River paced back and forth over the glassy floors of the console room. Below her, the Doctor sat on his swing, connecting wires and poking things he was unsure of, as usual. Rain and Jet had disappeared off into the TARDIS somewhere, as they had been known to do lately.

It had been about a month since Jet had regained his memory, and River couldn't help but notice some differences in his behavior. However, these weren't obvious, by any means. In fact, they were so imperceptible that even Rain didn't notice them. They were as small as a look that would pass over Jet's face for half a second, or the small twitch of his head every so often. None of the others had seen it, so River was now toying with the idea that it was all just paranoia.

In that moment, there was a spark from beneath the console. "River," the Doctor called in annoyance. "It's kind of hard to concentrate when you're walking around up there."

"Sorry, Dear," she answered, but there was a note of worry in her voice that she didn't even attempt to mask.

Now the Doctor slid his goggles up to his forehead, leaving his swing to walk up the stairs to River. "Is something wrong?" he asked. He noticed that she continued pacing, so when she didn't answer, he stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

River really wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell the Doctor about her theory. After all, he did have a tendency to go overboard, especially if it involved protecting someone he cared about. So now she just waved her hand dismissively, putting on her best "everything's fine" face. "No, no. It's nothing. Really."

The Doctor squinted slightly as he scrutinized her face. "You're lying."

She let out a sigh. It was always a futile effort to lie to that man. "Okay, fine. But if I tell you, you have to promise not to overreact."

He cocked his head in confusion. "I promise."

River took a cautious glance around the room now, just in case there were any unwanted observers. "Well, it's about Jet. It's . . . nothing really, but after he got his memory back, he's just seemed . . . off. It's not very noticeable. In fact, I'm inclined to believe I'm just paranoid. But . . ."

The Doctor cut her off. "But you think the Silence installed a failsafe in Jet's mind, just in case their first plan didn't fall through."

River stared at him in amazement. "How did you know?"

"Because I was thinking it too."

"It just didn't make since," River continued. "Why would the Silence take a human companion and turn him into a Time Lord? What do they possibly gain from that?"

Now it was the Doctor's turn to begin pacing. "Well, let's see. I guess it would be a good idea to start with naming the differences in species. The main difference is that we have two hearts, so we can regenerate once we're killed." Now he stopped dead in his tracks.

Both of them seemed to realize the further implications the moment these words escaped the Doctor's mouth. Their eyes grew wide. River waited for him to continue, but he seemed unable, so she picked it up where he had left off. "If the Silence had rewired Jet to kill you, he could have been killed in combat. But if he was a Time Lord, he'd have multiple attempts."

For a moment, the Doctor just stood there staring into the distance as he connected the pieces in his mind and calculated his next move. "We need to take him back," he said as he began pressing buttons on the console.

"Back?" River asked incredulously. "Back where? We can't just send him back to the Silence!"

"No, no, no," the Doctor answered with a wave of his hand. "Back to Leadworth." The way he said these words implied that he believed this was the obvious next step.

River thought about Rain and about how upset she'd be if she had to say goodbye to Jet. "No," River told the Doctor. "No, you can't!" However, he paid no attention to her words, only continued to pilot the TARDIS back to Earth.

Now she walked over to him and grabbed his wrists, holding them firmly in place. "What choice do I have?" the Doctor practically shouted. For an instant, River saw one thing she almost never saw in his eyes: genuine fear.

She wanted to wrap him in her arms and tell him that everything would be fine, just as he used to do for her. But the Doctor had to be dealt with rationally if she was to convince him not to follow through with a plan. "If you drop Jet at Leadworth, Rain will follow him. Do you really want to put her in danger?"

"She'll be in danger anyway as long as he's here! Are you suggesting that we kill him? Sorry, but that's just not how I do my job!"

River calmly countered this statement. "If there's one thing I've learned from traveling with you, it's that there's _always _a way out. All we have to do is find a way to disconnect the influence of the Silence from his mind. No one has to leave or die."

The Doctor was silent as he considered this. Finally, he sighed in resignation. This was a feeling he found rather annoying, yet often experienced around River. "Fine. But if I were you, I'd have a safety net just in case."

River smiled as she nodded to her gun which was holstered in its belt and hung over the railing. "I always do."

Now as the Doctor moved to leave, he noticed that River's hands were still clasping his wrists. He cleared his throat. "Um . . . River? Would you mind letting me go?"

Instead, she pulled him into a hug, just as she had wanted to do from the beginning. "Everything is going to be fine."

**So, I just wanted to say . . . 300 REVIEWS! You guys are absolutely amazing! Don't forget to review this chapter, and keep being awesome.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Hm. Well this is unusual. I don't really have anything to say this time. Except that I promise not to give any spoilers if you haven't seen the season finale.**

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine.**

"Doctor, what are you doing? I thought we agreed we _weren't _just going to drop Jet somewhere," River said as the Doctor scrambled to punch in coordinates to a planet he knew was harmless.

"I told you," he answered. "We're just dropping him off until I can come up with a way to fix this. He'll be totally fine here. Nothing to worry about."

Just then, Rain and Jet entered the room as if on cue. "Where are we going this time?" Rain asked, noticing the Doctor's orbit around the console.

"Actually, it's just Jet this time," the Doctor answered, trying to make this sound as normal as possible.

"What do you mean?" Jet asked, starting to get worried. "You can't just leave me."

The Doctor spoke to him without meeting his eyes, his tone light. "Oh, don't worry; we'll be back before you know it."

"Then you won't mind if I go to," Rain stated, moving to grab Jets hand.

"Rain, I'm sorry, but you just can't this time. Trust me." The Doctor's tone had now turned pleading. He didn't want to put his daughter in danger, but he feared he might have no choice.

Just as he had expected, Rain didn't budge. She only tightened her grasp on Jet's hand, letting him know that she wasn't going anywhere. The Doctor glanced over at River, hoping that she would back him up. Instead, she nodded slightly, trying to assure him that Rain would be okay. Finally, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. Just . . . stay out of trouble." It was the farthest thing from what he wanted to do, but he knew that River must have some reasoning. She always did, and he didn't trust her as often as he should have. Now he pulled the lever to land the TARDIS as Rain and Jet made their way slowly to the door. Rain opened it, allowing Jet to go first. "We'll be back soon. Promise," the Doctor assured her.

She nodded to make him feel better, but she wasn't quite sure if she believed him. After all, she remembered the stories River had told her about Amy, about how she waited twelve years for her Raggedy Man to come and rescue her. Rain tried to convince herself that that wasn't something that could happen twice, but the nagging voice in the back of her head told her otherwise. It was hard to ignore the fact that she had waited eighteen years to be rescued from the Silence, whether she had known the Doctor was her father or not.

Stepping out, she watched as the TARDIS dematerialized in front of her, leaving her with Jet on a planet . . . that wasn't Earth. However, as Rain looked around at the forest that surrounded them, she couldn't help but think that this place looked entirely too familiar. "So what now?" Jet asked.

"I don't know," Rain answered distractedly. "I guess we should probably try to find some sort of civilization."

"I can hear a stream not too far away," Jet noted. "If we follow it, we'll probably reach civilization eventually."

"How do you know that?" Rain asked.

Jet smiled. "I've watched my share of survival shows."

"I can't argue with that logic." With that, they set off in the direction of the stream. However, as they walked the surroundings began to get more and more familiar. Even Jet noticed it.

"Have we been here before?" he asked.

She tilted her head, trying to remember the details of their adventures in this area. "Must have. I just can't remember when."

Now they came to where stream snaked through the forest. Here, the familiarity of the scene was almost tangible. However, she only realized why when she saw someone sitting on the opposite bank. "James!" she shouted, remembering now the last time they had come here. James had been her accomplice in making Jet jealous. Rain couldn't help but notice how Jet put his arm protectively around her waist as they approached the stream.

James jumped in surprise, not expecting to be called. However, when he saw who it was his face lit up immediately. "Rain!" he called, getting up to walk across the stream on the stepping stones. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, honestly, I don't know."

"James," Jet greeted him, nodding slightly, but not exactly smiling.

"Oh, you must be her friend," James said, remembering.

Jet's grip on Rain tightened slightly at this statement. "Actually, I'm her husband now. And my name's Jet."

This took James by surprise. "Husband! You go from friends to being married in two months?"

"Time goes by differently where we come from," Jet answered coldly.

"Alright," Rain interrupted, trying to cover up Jet's obvious dislike of James. "We aren't exactly sure how long we're going to be here, so would you mind taking us to your village?"

"Of course!" James answered happily, unfazed by Jet's coolness. "It's not far from here. Just follow me."

He led them across the stream, entering the forest on the other side. For several minutes they hiked their way through the forest, dodging branches and jumping fallen trees as they went. Finally, there was a clearing in the trees. In the middle of it sat an entire village of houses. Rain and Jet hadn't expected to see houses, rather huts. It surprised them to see these buildings that looked just like the ones on Earth in the middle of a forest.

"This one's mine," James said, leading them to one of the houses in the middle of the village. It was rather small, and didn't look like it had many rooms. James led them inside. "Kitchen's there," he said motioning to the left. "Toilet's there." He pointed to the right. "And that's the bedroom," he said, nodding to the room straight in front of them. "It's not much, but that's all I have, and it's a lot better than nothing."

"So we can stay here?" Rain asked hopefully.

"Sure!" James answered. "I have an extra blanket in my room, but there's also room for one more on the bed," he said, smiling at Rain.

"We'll take the floor," Jet answered quickly, walking into the room ahead of the other two.

James gave Rain a friendly wink, letting her know that he remembered the last time they had visited. Making sure that Jet couldn't hear, he whispered to her, "Think about how jealous he'd be after a few days."

Rain smiled deviously, casting a glance at the room in which Jet had gone. James held out his hand to her, as if asking for permission. She reached out and shook it. "Sounds like a plan."

**James is back! Woo hoo! Oh, and don't forget to review.**


	44. Chapter 44

**Yeah, I know this chapter break was a little bit longer than most, but I had to update my other story, since I'd been neglecting that one for about a month. If you want to check it out, it's called 'The Only Song I Want to Hear' *shameless plug*. It's a series of oneshots.**

**Disclaimer: Even after 43 chapters I still don't own Doctor Who.**

The Doctor pulled the lever that would send the TARDIS back into the vortex after leaving Rain and Jet on the Earth-like planet. "So do you actually have any idea what you're going to do to 'fix this'?" River asked.

He ran a hand through his hair in agitation before answering. "Why does everyone always expect me to have a plan?"

River gave him a look that was obviously meant to say, _because you always do have a plan._

"Okay, okay," the Doctor said. "But this one isn't that simple. If I knew how to just expel the Silence from someone's mind, I would have done it to you on the day we met in Berlin!"

He did have a point there. "Okay, so even if you can't fully get rid of the Silence's influence there must be a way to at least weaken it."

The Doctor groaned. "Yes, there probably is; I just don't know it yet!"

River could tell that he was stressed out right now. "Sweetie, just sit down and relax. Maybe take the day off. You aren't going to get anywhere in this state."

He sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. "Fine. Fine, you're right." At that, he fell into the captain's chair, closing his eyes as he attempted to calm down.

River took this as an opportunity to go check on Storm. He had been quieter than usual today, and she would have been suspicious of this if she hadn't been so busy trying to reason with the Doctor.

As she walked into Storm's room, she noticed something rather odd. One of the bars of the crib had been broken in half and lay on the floor of the room. River cringed as she walked closer, confirming what she was already afraid of: Storm was gone. But no one had broken into the TARDIS. After the new security they'd added that would be impossible. As she examined the inside of the crib, she saw scratches on several other bars. From what she could gather, River came to the conclusion that Storm had broken out. She chuckled to herself. It was only natural, since his mother was a master of breaking out of prison.

Unfortunately, she had no idea how long Storm had been gone. He could have broken out hours ago. In that time, he could have gone any number of placed in the TARDIS. River considered not telling the Doctor, as she didn't want to worry him with anything else. However, she finally decided that Storm would be easier to find if more than one person was looking for him.

So now she calmly made her way back to the console room, where the Doctor hadn't moved since she'd been in there last. "Um . . . Doctor?"

He didn't open his eyes when he spoke. "Yes?"

"We might have a problem."

Groaning, he ran his hands over his face a couple of times before standing up to face River. "What sort of problem?"

River wasn't exactly sure what the most believable way to word this was. "I think Storm . . . escaped."

The Doctor raised one eyebrow sarcastically, a smile playing at his lips. "He escaped?"

"It's true!" she insisted. "One of the wooden bars on his crib was broken. It had scratches on it like he had tried to break it."

Her words were starting to convince him, yet he still wasn't sure how much of this he believed. "How long ago did he break out?"

River rolled her eyes. "If I had known that I would've been searching for him sooner!"

"Okay," the Doctor said, now thoroughly convinced. "That means we don't know how far he's gone. Still, I think it would be best to check the rooms closest to his first." He began to run down the hall that led to Storm's room as River followed him. Once there, he turned on his heels to face her. "Right. Now we'll probably find him sooner if we split up. I'll go that way," he said, motioning to a hall that branched out to the left, "and you go that way," he said once more, pointing in the opposite direction he had the first time.

River ran down the hall, looking in door after door, but all the rooms she looked in seemed to be empty storage rooms that the Doctor had never needed to use. Needless to say, Storm wasn't in any of them. Still, River continued on, as she didn't know how far Storm was capable of getting.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was moving at a slower pace, as the rooms he was looking in actually held large, important rooms that held many cracks and crevices that a baby could easily hide behind.

The first room he came to was the library. That one was fairly easy. The shelves lined the walls, so there was no way that Storm could be hiding behind them. There were a few chairs, but the Doctor made sure that the boy wasn't in any of them. Once he was convinced that his son was not in that room, he hurriedly left. After what happened with River in his last regeneration, libraries still made him feel anxious and guilty.

The next room he entered was the gym. He laughed at the site of it. Sexy always added a gym, but he had yet to use it. After all, he did quite a bit of running without it. Still, he took the time to look around all the equipment. As expected, though, Storm was nowhere to be found, so the Doctor moved on to the next room.

This one was the swimming pool. It was Olympic-sized, complete with three slides and a high dive. He rarely ever used it, but it still looked like a lot of fun. The first things he checked were the slides. No Storm. Next, he looked down at the clear water to make sure the boy hadn't fallen in. No Storm. Finally he checked the high dive. No Sto-

The Doctor had to do a double-take. There, on the ledge of the board was Storm, laughing as if he thought this whole goose chase was funny. The Doctor's eyes were wide as he slowly ascended the ladder, not wanting to scare Storm and cause him to fall.

"Stormy," he called gently once he reached the top. "Stormy, come to Doctor." Yes, he realized that it sounded like he was talking to a dog rather than his son, but it was all he could think of.

Now Storm's eyes connected with his. Those bright blue, stormy eyes connected with the Doctor's and for a minute, seemed to be filled with a mischief that surpassed his years. The boy wriggled closer to the ledge.

"No!" the Doctor called, a little louder than he had meant, causing it to echo through the room. "Stormy, wrong way. Come this way!" He pulled out his sonic now, pressing the button on its side. This seemed to attract Storm's attention. "That's right, Stormy! Come to the pretty light."

It almost worked, too. Storm was so captivated that he actually did lean forward slightly. However, once he realized what the Doctor was doing, he wriggled backward once more. The Doctor gasped, expecting him to fall, but he never did. "Stormy! You've got to stop doing that! Just come this way." Maybe it was the Doctor's imagination, but the boy seemed to actually shake his head. "Well, if you're not going to come to me, I'll just have to come to you."

At this, the Doctor began to step hesitantly onto the board, walking slowly once more in order to not scare Storm. He took step after step until he finally stood right in front of Storm. In one more step he could pick up his son and take him back to his crib. The Doctor picked up one foot, preparing to set it down slowly. Suddenly, Storm shot forward, crawling between his father's legs. The displacement of weight on the board caused it to shake, sending the Doctor sprawling into the pool below.

As he surfaced, gasping, from the pool, the Doctor noticed that Storm now sat safely on the ground, looking innocent as if nothing had happened. Now the Doctor picked him up and left the pool, heading towards Storm's room.

Before he could get there, though, he ran into River. She immediately started laughing at his dripping appearance. "Have a little trouble, Sweetie?"

"Don't. Ask," he answered. But even he couldn't help but laugh.

River smiled as he handed Storm over to her. "Well I guess that's one way to cheer you up."

**Please leave a review. Because you know those things are amazing.**


	45. Chapter 45

**So I think I've decided that after the current plot progression at least somewhat resolves itself I'm going to end this story . . . and start a sequel. And yes, I promise to tell you the name of that sequel so it's easier to find.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Doctor Who. But I don't. I'll try to move on now.**

Rain woke up before Jet the next morning. Since James' bed was the only one in the house, they had slept on the floor, wrapped in a nest of blankets. Rain's body was stiff from lying on the hard wood, so she carefully sat up, snaking her way out of Jet's arms as she did, so that she wouldn't wake him.

As she stood up, she noticed that James had already left. That wasn't surprising. He had probably just left early to go fishing. Rain was already fully dressed, so all she had to do was slip on her shoes before walking out into the dim morning.

Outside, the sun had just barely begun to come up over the horizon, not yet clearing the trees that surrounded the village. Normally, Rain would never be up and around this early, but the small village seemed to draw her attention. Already, there were people all around her. Some were carrying fishing poles like James'; others were washing clothes or chopping wood. The smell of baking bread came wafting from somewhere near the center of town, causing Rain's mouth to water. She wanted to explore this village and see all that it had to offer, but she restrained herself. She wanted Jet to be there to share these sights with her.

So instead, Rain decided to head over to the small stream where she knew James would be fishing. It was just a small trek through the forest, not far at all. It was worth it to find someone familiar to talk to. After all, she didn't know how long it would be before Jet awakened.

There was already a makeshift path curving through the forest made by the fisherman who had used it to find their way to and from the stream. Therefore, Rain found her way there with no trouble at all. Even though she had seen many villagers walking around with fishing poles, James was still the only one here. She figured this must be his self-designated work zone or something.

"Hey," she called as soon as she could see him.

James jumped a little at her voice, not expecting anyone else to come. "Oh, hello," he said once he realized who it was. "Where's your _husband_?" He drew out the word, still hesitant to believe that they were actually married.

"He's still asleep," she answered. "That's why I came here."

James nodded. "Well, I can't promise you that it will be any more interesting here than in the village."

"That's okay," she shrugged. "I was waiting to explore the village with Jet anyway."

After this, neither of them said anything. It almost felt wrong to corrupt the natural peace of this stream with things as unnecessary as words. So now they both just sat there, Rain enjoying the scenery and James waiting for a fish.

***()***

Jet woke up as the morning light shone on him through the dusty window of James' room. He groaned as he felt the stiffness that came along with lying on the hard floor for too long. Keeping his eyes shut, she turned over to wrap his arm around Rain.

But he only grasped air. Rain was gone.

Now Jet became immediately alert. He'd already thrust on his shoes and made his way to the door, when something caught his attention. He'd noticed it earlier, but the pieces just hadn't fallen into place until now: James was gone too.

Jet thought back to every encounter he'd ever seen Rain have with Jet. Every time they met he would always flirt with her, and she would always flirt back. A tiny voice in the back of his head always told him that she was doing it on purpose, and that she only did it to get a response from him. Now, though, it was different. Now they were married. She must have known that purposely orchestrating something like this would be going too far.

Jet caught himself.

Something wasn't right.

His pulse was higher than it had been for a long time. He could feel the heat radiating from his face as he grew angrier. But why should he be so upset? This may just be a coincidence. Why was he getting upset about something as trivial as this? Jet shook his head and ran his hands through his hair a few times to calm himself. In a matter of seconds he was back to normal. He didn't know what caused his overreaction, but he just hoped it wouldn't happen again.

Jet walked outside, immediately enthralled by the beauty of the simple town. There were so many things going on at once that his eyes were constantly being pulled from one to another. He shook his head again. _Focus._ Where would Rain be in a place like this? Well, if she _was _with James, maybe it would be better to wonder where he was.

That wasn't hard. James was a fisherman. He could always be found by the small stream that carved its way through the forest. So that's where Jet decided to look first. As he approached the trees, he noticed what looked like a path, the grass and plants all crushed underneath what looked like footprints. This must have been the way that James had gone.

Jet set off down the path. Just as he had guessed, it led to the stream where James always fished. And sure enough, there he was, and there _she _was. Next to him. Neither of them was saying anything, but both seemed to be wearing contented smiles as they listened to the sound of the crackling stream. Something about this scene sent Jet's pulse shooting again. It wasn't the silence or the scenery. It was the fact that she was here with _James._ Jet had awoken to find his wife missing, when she had been here with him the _whole time._

It was happening again. Jet's pulse skyrocketed. His face was hot, and his hands balled into fists. Once again, the tiny voice in the back of his head assured him that he was overreacting, but this time it didn't help. He _knew _he was overreacting. But right now he didn't care. The anger overshadowed that. Now his eyes fogged over, and his body moved forward mechanically, as if the heat coursing through his veins was enough to grant movement without thought.

Jet walked over to where James sat next to Rain. As he approached, his steady pace hastened to a speed walk. His steps were no longer slow and secretive, but loud and clumsy. James heard him coming and immediately stood to greet him. However, he saw the clouded look in Jet's eyes, but once he did it was too late. Jet had already wound back his arm. As soon as he was close enough, it flew forward, propelled by all the anger that seemed to have taken over his body. By the time his vision cleared and his mind regained control of his impulsive body, all he saw was James' body splayed across the ground, unconscious.

**Sorry my updates aren't as regular as usual. Life is busy. Reviews are still amazing, though, so feel free to write one.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Very sorry about the lack of updates! I'm going to try to post a little more this week, since I don't really have anything else to do for the next few days. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but I'm always hopeful.**

Rain was on her feet in the same instant. "Jet!" she cried, a tone of panic seeping into her voice. She looked into his eyes, but they were void of their usual spark, replaced instead with rage and hate. This was not the Jet she knew.

"Jet?" she said again, more hesitant this time, even taking a small step back. Her voice seemed to be breaking through to him, though. The emotion in his eyes began to change from hatred to confusion. She noticed then that his eyes were downcast as he stared at the figure sprawled across the ground.

"James!" she exclaimed, dropping to her knees beside him. In the midst of her concern for Jet, she had totally forgotten that James was the one who had been knocked unconscious. "James, are you okay?" she asked, shaking him slightly. But he didn't move. A quick examination of vital signs confirmed that he was still alive, but out cold. It was useless to try and wake him up.

At this, Rain slowly rose to her feet again to confront Jet, who now wore a mask of disappointment. She didn't say anything, only inspected his expression to find some clue as to why he had overreacted so easily. After a moment, though, it was Jet who spoke. "Sorry," he mumbled under his breath so quietly that she had to strain to hear it.

There were so many questions streaming through her head, but she began with the simplest. "Why?"

Jet squeezed his eyes shut, as if the question had struck him painfully. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you 'don't know'?"

"I just don't, okay?" he yelled suddenly, surprising even himself. Now, though, his voice returned to just above a whisper. "I-I just was jealous, at first, because I knew you were with him . . . I tried not to care, because I knew it was a stupid thing to worry about. After that, I . . . I just don't know what happened. I couldn't see anything clearly, and it was as if my body was separate from my mind. Then I woke up . . . and James was on the ground." He could already tell that the story sounded ridiculous. He sounded like a madman, and the way Rain was looking at him now only reinforced this idea.

"So you're saying that your body took over, and you couldn't control anything you did?" Jet could sense the utter disbelief in her voice.

"Well when you put it like that, I can see why it would sound ridiculous," he groaned. "But honestly, we spend most of our time running from aliens and traveling through time and space in a tiny blue box. Is my story really that hard to believe?"

He had a point. However, it seemed more like an excuse than a legitimate reason to believe him. "You know, you don't have to make up ridiculous things like this. I can take whatever you have to say."

"Then why won't you believe me now?" he shouted. "I've never lied to you before. What could I have possibly done to lose your trust?"

Rain faltered at this. Unthinkingly, her mind flashed back to the day Jet had been hit by the car, the day he died. She remembered seeing him walk down the street on that very same day, looking as healthy as he had the day they'd met. Finally, she remembered the painful days following that, when he didn't even know her name. She had fallen in love with him, and it seemed as though all her progress had been for nothing. She thought about how she had broken him from this sort of amnesia, and her hand subconsciously flew to her abdomen. However, she dropped it when she realized that Jet was still waiting for an answer.

"Nothing," she said, realizing that it was true. "I'm sorry."

"So you'll believe me?" he asked hopefully.

She sighed. It didn't look like she'd have much of a choice. Plus, he was right; there was no reason that she _shouldn't _trust him. "Yes. But now we should probably take James back to his house."

"Oh. Yes. Right," Jet said, looking down at the still-unconscious man. Carefully, he bent down to pick him up, straddling a limp arm around his shoulder. Rain took the other arm, and they set off toward the village. It took them a little longer to get there than it had before, considering they were now carrying a considerably greater amount of weight, but slowly and surely they made it to James' house and laid him on his bed.

"How long do you suppose we have before he wakes up?" Rain asked.

Jet shrugged. "I'd say a couple hours at the least." They stood there quietly for a moment, not saying anything. "When do you think the Doctor will be back?"

Rain sighed. "I've been wondering the same thing."

"Well, we can't just sit here and wait until he does." Jet stated. "We might as well enjoy our time here. I was going to explore the village earlier, but you weren't around."

Rain smiled, remembering how the same thing had crossed her mind. "I think we've found a pastime for today."

"I think we have," Jet answered, holding out his arm to her.

She grabbed onto him gratefully, but cautiously. If he was telling the truth, and something really had possessed him, there was no way for her to know if it could happen again. But she kept these thoughts hidden inside of her, taking his arm and just enjoying his company for now.

As they ventured further into the village, they passed several small buildings with people working in or outside of them. Loud clinking noises sounded from a garage where a man pounded red-hot steel, sending sparks flying. As he noticed them, he glanced up and waved before returning back to his work. This is how it went as they passed more and more people. Everyone here seemed to be friendly and enjoying themselves, even though all were hard at work. It was the kind of atmosphere in which you couldn't help but be happy.

Eventually, Rain and Jet ended up at the little bakery on the far side of the village. The smell of bread had been wafting through the village all day, and the two of them had been subconsciously heading towards this place all day. Peering in the window they could see at least twenty different kinds of bread, probably more. The sight alone was enough to pull them through the door without even realizing that neither of them had any money. By explaining this to the friendly woman at the counter, they were able to leave with a small loaf each as "souvenirs". The loaves were gone in minutes.

The rest of the day was spent exploring everything else the village had to offer and chatting with the native people, who still seemed like the friendliest people on the planet, even though they had never met anyone else on the planet.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting. The day seemed to have passed in a blur. "I think James is probably awake by now," Rain said, giggling slightly.

Jet smiled. "Yeah, probably. But who says we have to go back just yet?"

"Well, we _have _seen the entire village by now," Rain pointed out.

He shrugged. "Then I guess we'll just have to check out the forest," he said, leading her into the trees.

They walked until the noise of the village was no longer audible. The only noises were the trickling creek and the wind through the trees. "It's so peaceful here," Rain pointed out. But Jet wasn't focused on her words. His eyes were locked with hers, drawing her attention away from the forest. They had been leaning closer this whole time without even realizing it. It was as if a magnetic force was pulling them together until finally they were only an inch apart. Rain closed her eyes, savoring the moment as Jet's lips crashed into hers. Her arms automatically flew around his neck, keeping him there.

This moment was perfect. There was no James and no villagers to intervene. Just them.

But then a noise came from the forest only a few feet from where they stood. _Vwoorp vwoorp _was the noise that joined those of the creek and the trees. And soon a blue box was stood amidst the forest.

**Reviews make me happy. So review! And I shall be happy.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Hello, lovely readers! Thanks again to everyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed this story. You are the reason that I've made it to chapter 47. Wow, I never thought I'd be saying that! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, because if I did, River would have much more screen time.**

"Doctor?" River called, wandering through the halls of the TARDIS. "Doctor, where did you go this time?"

By now, she was starting to get more than a little annoyed. That man had been missing all day, and she couldn't find him anywhere. And yes, she understood that he'd been under a lot of stress lately, with everything that had happened with Jet. But this was getting ridiculous. He couldn't just hide away all day and ignore everything else.

Now River gave an exaggerated huff as she turned the corner into yet another hallway that was free of the Doctor. She threw her hands up in frustration. How hard could it be? She was the Child of the TARDIS, after all! Remembering this, she silently asked the box for assistance. As she continued walking, she discovered a new hallway that she hadn't seen before branching off from the one in which she currently walked. "Thanks, Dear," she smirked as she strode confidently down the new hall.

As she did so, she noticed that there were very few doors in this hall. On the left side was a door she recognized as the Doctor's. Well, that was no good; she'd already checked that one dozens of times. However, as she looked to her right she noticed a room that she hadn't seen in quite a long time. It was the room that she had spent many sleepless nights in, the room that she used to call hers. This was where she used to stay before the Doctor discovered who she was. It was close enough to his that he could keep an eye on her, yet far enough to offer River her own space. She hadn't seen this room since she'd been pardoned from Stormcage. In fact, she had assumed the Doctor had deleted it after he married her.

Now she cautiously reached for the knob, turning it slowly as she pulled the door open. Inside was exactly how she remembered it: just a plain, ordinary room with TARDIS blue walls, a small bed, and a wardrobe on the side, next to a door leading to the bathroom. Still, the Doctor was not here. She sighed as the weight of all the memories of this room washed over her in a deluge. River didn't like this room. It wasn't that it was uncomfortable, though. In fact, that was the farthest thing from the truth. No, the reason for her resentment was based on the fact that this just seemed like another cell to her. It was just one more place where she could be dropped and forgotten about. But even now she wouldn't blame the Doctor. How could she? He hadn't known then.

There was no sense in staying if the Doctor wasn't there, though. So now she turned away from the terrible room, pulling the door behind her. However, something made her stop. It was a muffled, frustrated groan coming from the room behind her. Immediately, her head snapped around to find its source. But just as she had concluded earlier, the room was empty. Still, she walked inside to take a more thorough look. There weren't many places he could be, though. The room wasn't actually very large at all. As she bent down to check under the bed, there came another sound, but it was more of a growl this time. It was pronounced enough to tell her exactly where to look. She now straightened up and headed directly for the bathroom.

As she closed her hand around the knob, though, she hesitated. Should she knock? After a few seconds of turning this over in her head, she decided that it couldn't hurt, so she did. There came no reply, so she instead asked, "Sweetie, are you in there?"

The reply came out agitated. "Yes, yes. Come in if you must."

Inside, the Doctor sat, fully clothed, in the bathtub, which was completely dry. In his lap he held a notepad and a pen, with which he was furiously scribbling on the pad. All around him were wads of paper, discarded pages from the near empty pad. The rejected pages were piled around him in the tub, almost giving him the appearance of being surrounded by bubbles. From the sides, still more paper wads sat, as they had overflown from the tub.

"What exactly are you doing?" asked River, who still stood near the doorway. The Doctor, who was still scribbling furiously on one of the pages in the notepad, didn't answer at first. Soon, though, she became impatient. "Well?"

Now the Doctor angrily tore out the page he had been writing on, crumpled it into a ball like the others, and tossed it aside. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to find a way to fix Jet, but that is a lot harder when I can't concentrate!"

River didn't say anything. He only snapped at her like this when he was really upset or focused on something, and she imagined he was both.

For a moment there was silence, but soon the Doctor realized his mistake. He sighed and shook his head before apologizing. "I'm sorry. It's just… hard. There's more pressure when it's your daughter on the line." He didn't even want to think about what might happen if they didn't return for Rain and Jet soon.

Now River walked over to him and knelt beside the bathtub, cupping a comforting hand on his cheek. "You'll figure something out, my love. You always do. I'm sure all of these were brilliant ideas," she said, motioning to the wads that filled the tub. "Just relax and the answer will come to you."

He sighed again, calmer this time. "You're right," he smiled up at her, "as always."

She smiled back as she straightened up. Then she took another look at his location. "Sweetie, why are you in here again?"

"It helps me think," he said brightly. "I always come up with my best ideas here. Besides, who wants to be stuck behind a desk all day?"

River laughed, noticing for the hundredth time how he looked like a five year old. Leaning down, she picked up a stray paper wad that happened to sit at her feet. She carefully smoothed it out, noticing that there was only one word scrawled on it: _Brainwashed_.

"What was this one about?" she asked, showing him the paper.

"Hm? Oh, that was just an observation. I thought maybe if I wrote down the problem, the answer would just come to me."

Something stood out to her. "But Jet isn't brainwashed anymore. He's just sort of… glitched."

He considered this. "Yes, but the Silence still holds a small amount of control over him, enough to-" At this moment, though, a shrill beeping noise came from his pocket. The Doctor quickly pulled out the device it came from. What he produced was a small instrument that looked almost like a remote control for a toy car, but with more antennae.

"Doctor, what is that?"

His face was serious now, focused. "It's a sensor. I synched it with Jet so that if he had any flare in emotion I would know. These readings aren't normal." He looked up now to lock eyes with River. Now he spoke what they were both thinking. "The Silence is controlling him right now."

At this, the Doctor jumped out of the tub, and they both took off sprinting towards the console room. Although, when they did, the Doctor didn't reach for the controls or type in coordinated. Instead, he began pacing back and forth in front of the console with forceful steps. "Well, what are you waiting for?" River practically yelled. "We have to get them!"

The Doctor stopped now, turning to her with a conflicted expression. "But we don't know how to cure him yet. Right now they won't be any safer with us."

Unfortunately, she realized that he was right. But she hated the thought of leaving Rain on some planet with a puppet of the Silence, so she began racking her brain for anything that could help them. Suddenly, it came to her. It wasn't necessarily a good idea, and it would be incredibly risky, but it was the best she had. "You said that Jet's emotions flare abnormally when the Silence controls him, right?"

This unusual question caught the Doctor off-guard. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"What if we caused the flare? There has to be some mechanism inside him that's linked to the Silence. Would it be possible to cause a flare so large that it shorted out?"

"No, of course not, that would-" He stopped for a moment as he actually considered what she had said. "That would be incredibly risky."

"But could it work?"

The Doctor raised a hand to scratch his head nervously. "I don't know. It could, but there's no telling what the costs could be."

River looked him firmly in the eyes now. "It's the best chance we've got."

He nodded before setting off to pilot the TARDIS to the planet where they had left Rain and Jet. There was determination in the way he pulled levers and pushed buttons. River could tell that he understood what she had said. This _was _their best shot. And after all, Jet was a Time Lord now. That had to count for something. As he thought these things, his orbit around the TARDIS became increasingly lighter and more cheerful, so that by the time he reached the final lever, he had convinced himself that this plan would work. Before he pulled it, though, he turned to River, giving her a smile so confident that she couldn't help but smile back. "Geronimo."

He pulled the lever, causing the _vworp vworp _sound as the TARDIS materialized. As soon as the landing was complete, he threw open the door. There, standing only a few yards away with their arms around each other, were Rain and Jet. "Come on!" he called, waving to them. "We've got a plan!"

**Reviews always make me happy! And for some reason, I can't think of anything as far as sequel names go. If you have any ideas, please feel free to send them my way.**


	48. Chapter 48

**Hello again! Miss me? I am so sorry for the incredibly long break, but life is getting busy at the moment. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story for so long. You're the best!**

**Disclaimer: Props to the lovely people over at the BBC**

Rain and Jet quickly followed the Doctor into the TARDIS. "And what does this plan involve?" asked Jet, who was starting to feel a little nervous about what exactly might happen to him. But the Doctor didn't answer him, and neither did River. Their eyes were downcast, River's focused on the floor and the Doctor's focused on the buttons he was pushing as he whirled around the console. "Well?" Jet asked again, getting more impatient with each passing second. When still no one answered, he stepped in front of the Doctor, stopping him in his tracks.

The Doctor's eyes met his, but they didn't give anything away. Rain could practically feel the tension that was radiating from her parents, and she took a step forward. "Doctor..." she prodded him to reveal something, anything about this "plan" of his. However, seeing that she was getting nowhere with him, she made her way over to River.

Her mother simply glanced up and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry, dear," she whispered, "but you'll have to wait and see."

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Jet continued their stare-down, each of them unflinching. Only when River cleared her throat to get the Doctor's attention did he shake his head and continue his orbit of button-pushing and lever-pulling.

"Okay," Jet sighed. "If you won't tell me the plan, will you at least tell me where we're going?"

"Home," the Doctor answered immediately in a flat tone without looking up.

"I'm sorry, what? Home? Whose home?"

"Your home." He punched in a few more coordinates before pulling the final lever and stopping to look at Jet. "I'm sorry, but you need to leave this time. Permanently."

Jet was taken aback. "E-excuse me?"

"It's too dangerous," the Doctor continued. "Think about it; as long as you're here you put Rain at risk." He paused for a moment before adding, "You put your future son or daughter at risk." As he said this Rain's hand instinctively flew to her stomach.

He could feel his heart beat faster, and each word the Doctor said became a dagger piercing his chest. "N-no, but you said you had a plan. A real, _proper_ plan. You always have a plan!"

"This was the plan." The Doctor's voice remained calm, even as Jet's grew louder.

"Then make a better one!" He was practically shouting now. "After all I've been through here, it can't just end like this!" Now he looked over at Rain for support. The shock of what was happening had caused tears to well up in her eyes, but she was determined not to let them fall.

"Doctor," she said, hurrying to Jet's side, "you can't be serious. We've been through this; you can't expect to drop Jet anywhere without me following. Think about me, your daughter."

The emotion in her voice was almost too persuasive, but the Doctor remained firm. "Of course I'm thinking about you. I'm always thinking about you. I just want you to be safe."

"Oh, and you think this is safe?" Jet cut in. "You think it's safe for her to travel around the universe fighting monsters? What if she doesn't return miraculously unharmed, huh? She may be a Time Lord, but she's not immortal. Who are you to say that this is the safest place for her?"

This comment touched on a sensitive area for the Doctor, and though he had been prepared for an argument, he couldn't fight the anger bubbling up inside him now. "So you're asking me to leave her with a bipolar pawn of the Silence instead?" His voice had reached the same volume as Jet's.

"I'm asking you to actually weigh the options for a change instead of just doing what you want!"

The Doctor pointed to Rain as he shouted, "Look at her and tell me that you honestly think that she would be safer with you, and tell me if the same holds true if you were to lose your temper."

What made Jet angry wasn't the fact that the Doctor was now shouting at him. Rather, it was the fact that as soon as he glanced at Rain—whose hand was still curled protectively around her midsection—he couldn't help but think that the Doctor's words were true. And this was one thing he couldn't stand. He hated knowing that he wasn't even capable of protecting the only girl he had ever loved. He couldn't protect his wife or his child. He was a failure.

Now Jet could feel the darkness start to fog his vision, the darkness that came with an elevated pulse as his hands became fists and his face became hot. It was the same darkness that had shrouded his vision before he'd attacked James. He was vaguely aware of a shrill beeping noise coming from what looked like a remote control in River's hands. But in an instant this image was gone, and his vision blacked out completely. All he could register now was the Doctor's voice prodding him on.

"You can't fight the truth, no matter how hard you try. Believe me, I've spent my whole life outrunning it, and that doesn't work either. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can't save everyone. Sometimes the best option is to just let them go."

Mixed with the Doctor's words were sobs that must have come from Rain. "Doctor, _please._" She begged. "Please, just stop."

Jet sensed that the Doctor continued to speak, but if he did, the words no longer registered. As Jet's pulse climbed, his senses failed. His hearing faded just as his sight had. Before long, he was no longer aware of anything but darkness and the beating of his own pulse that was audible in his head. Eventually, even that sound faded from his realm of consciousness, and he was left with total and complete darkness.

The others watched as Jet began to advance toward the Doctor. However, after only one step he began to sway uneasily before collapsing to the floor. In the background, the beeping of the monitor in River's hands had become so frequent that the individual beeps were beginning to sound like one continuous tone. Soon after Jet collapsed, though, the monitor gave one final beep, louder and longer than the others, before becoming silent.

Rain had long since given up on trying not to cry, and the tears streamed down her cheeks. "No!" she sobbed as she knelt next to her husband's body. She turned him onto his back and tried to listen for a heartbeat, but she wasn't sure whether she was feeling his beat or her own ringing in her head. "Jet, please," she whispered. "I can't lose you again."

Behind her, the Doctor walked over to River and took her empty hand. "I told you it would be risky," he whispered as they watched their daughter's hard shatter.

"_Please_," Rain whispered again between sobs.

Suddenly Jet's eyelids flickered. He took a sharp, shaky breath before opening his eyes completely and letting out a groan. "Rain," he said, as his first clear thoughts were of her. "Rain, I'm sorry."

Her eyes were wide with disbelief, and what had previously been tears of sorrow became tears of joy. "Jet! You're alive!"

A small smile crept onto his face. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

She allowed herself a chuckle of relief at this statement. "You've got to stop almost dying."

"I'll try," he smiled. Now he decided that he should at least sit up to test his muscles. They were a little sore, of course, but not terrible.

The Doctor and River came to sit beside him too, each taking a turn embracing him. "I'm very sorry about all that," the Doctor said. "But it had to be done. The Silence had apparently planted a small chip inside you that activated when your emotions flared. We had to short it out in order to save you."

Jet nodded in understanding. "You might've explained that to me beforehand. If it hadn't shorted out I would have attacked you."

River cut in now. "If we had told you, then your reactions would have been different. You wouldn't have gotten as angry."

"Plus, we knew it would be risky," the Doctor continued. "But it was our only hope of saving you."

Rain dried her eyes before asking, "Wait, so if this was all part of the plan, does that mean Jet can stay with us?"

"Of course!" the Doctor smiled. "He's part of the family now." Jet now stood up, but it was obvious that he was a little uneasy on his feet. The rest of them stood up too. "I think you'd better lie down for a while." The Doctor said.

Rain put her arm around Jet's waist. "I'll take him to his room."

"Actually, you should probably take him to the medical bay." When the others looked at him quizzically, he added, "There's something you might like to see."

With a shrug, Rain and Jet made their way to the medical bay, followed by the Doctor and River, who had left the monitor on the console. Once they had gotten Jet situated onto one of the beds, the Doctor turned to Rain. "Now, how would you like to take a look at your son or daughter?"

"I'd love to!" Rain said, "But it's probably too early, right?"

The Doctor smirked. "It's never too early when you're inside a time machine."

Rain's face lit up, and she sat down on the bed that was next to Jet's. Between them was the scanner that would show them the face of their child. The Doctor pressed a few buttons on the scanner, telling it to scan Rain, and within moments an image popped up on the screen. "Wow," the Doctor smiled, reaching over to take River's hand as he watched the reactions of the proud parents.

"Fantastic," Jet stated, beaming at the screen. "Why argue over whether you want a boy or a girl when you can have both?"

Rain was now grinning from ear to ear. "Twins."

"Have you thought about names yet?" River asked.

Rain looked over at Jet, who nodded for her to answer. "Actually, yes. I know, it's cheesy, but we've been looking at combining our names. If it was a girl we'd name her Jane, and if it was a boy we'd name him Rhett. Now I guess we have both."

"Well, Jane and Rhett," the Doctor said, his eyes still fixed on the screen, "welcome."

**I regret to inform you that this will be the last chapter of the story "Welcome". I will probably end up writing a sequel, but it will probably be sometime in the summer. You all have been amazing readers, and I have very much enjoyed seeing favorites and alerts and reviews pop up for this story. Your feedback has been spectacular, and, as always, thanks for reading. Reviews, once again, make me very happy.**


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